Laws of Motion Book One
by Ms-Maggs
Summary: Follow the lives of the CSIs and their loved ones as they face the future and confront the past. All cast story DramaRomanceHumorActionCasefile and the ships are: GS,CW,NOC,GrOC,BLH,HOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes: My stories Gravity and Feasibility Study are prequels to Laws of Motion. This will be a WIP updating every 2-3 days, specific dates will be given at the end of every chapter. The ships are: GS, NOC, GrOC, CW, BLH, HOC. The mood is: romance, angst, humor. **

**I hope you enjoy!  
****Maggs**

* * *

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Prologue  
****A recap and a glimpse of what's to come...**

**Sunday, August 29, 2005 **

The ride home from the party was smooth. Alone in the back of Ron's limo, Sara and Gil buzzed from their biggest and boldest jump outside the lines of their reclusive lifestyle. Sipping non-alcoholic champagne, they celebrated surviving their surprise wedding reception and exchanged brilliant smiles.

On the rear window of the car in big white letters were written the words _Just Married (a month ago) _and flying from the antennae were two sets of silver streamers…all Catherine's idea. Every time the limo stopped at a red light, people in nearby cars and passersby would stare at the opaque windows of the sleek vehicle and wonder what was going on inside.

People are like limousines. They have a polished exterior, a persona they've crafted for the world to see, and they have an interior hidden from the public eye…

No one was better at hiding from the world than Gil Grissom because he had been skillfully trained by an expert, his mother. For over forty years he guarded his thoughts carefully and shielded his heart even more. Fortunately for him, a special woman came along and offered him a new life. Before all was lost, Gil took a chance and opened his mind and his heart to her, Sara, a woman who was also familiar with the pain of living a solitary life.

By the age of ten, Sara Sidle was an expert at smiling while dying on the inside. It was just easier to let teachers, caseworkers and foster moms think everything was okay. The twenty-five year old habit was hard to break but over the past year, she turned a corner thanks to intensive therapy and a loving and supportive man. She had the security she always craved and now, with a husband to confide in and a tight circle of friends with whom she could share her true thoughts, she spent a lot less time fronting.

Fronting is a skill learned out of necessity. With practice, a person can learn to fool even those closest to him, even his mother. Greg Sanders was labeled gifted in math, science and music by the age of seven. At the age of thirteen he was also gifted in fronting. One routine Monday morning he sat at the kitchen table chatting happily with his mom while polishing off a plate of blueberry pancakes. After taking his empty plate to the sink and grabbing his backpack, he pecked his mother on the cheek and said, _see you after school_…all the while knowing he planned to commit suicide two hours later.

Mothers are often in the dark when it comes to what's troubling their children….

Bev Sanders had no idea what was going on inside her Greg's mind that morning, no more than the people stopped alongside a limo know what's happening beyond the opaque windows.

When she was nursing her nine year old son back to health, Jillian Stokes had no idea why Nick was really suffering. When he vomited after she returned home and relieved the babysitter she just assumed he had succumbed to the stomach bug going around town. But it wasn't a virus that made her baby boy lose his appetite and barely talk for a week as he lay on the couch hiding under a blanket, either obsessively reading comic books or fitfully sleeping. Twenty-six years later Jillian still had no idea what was going on inside Nick's head, especially not that he thought she failed to protect him one night long ago.

Catherine Willows always knew she should be a better mother but couldn't manage it…at least not without cramping her lifestyle. She loved her daughter, but she also loved her job and her men. Unfortunately, she often did her job and her men when she should have been spending time with her daughter. And although she couldn't do her job from home, she quite often did her men there while her daughter was sleeping…or supposed to be sleeping. If she knew how much her impressionable daughter had seen and heard, Catherine wouldn't have been quite as shocked by Lindsay's behavior with Ryan Blake.

When her husband Paul left after the party to drive his father to the airport, Wendy Blake was still in a state of shock about what transpired between her son Ryan and future neighbor Lindsay earlier in the day. She couldn't decide what was throwing her more…the fact that she didn't know what was going on in her son's mind, or that she could still feel so vulnerable after all these years when Lindsay's accusation against Ryan triggered memories of being raped by Mike Rodgers.

It takes more than time to heal old wounds…

Every time he thought about what happened to him as a kid, Nick Stokes couldn't believe the intensity of his emotions Even though his knowledgeable fiancée assured him numerous times that it was normal to feel so strongly because the memory had been repressed for over twenty years, he hated it and wished it would all disappear. He hated it because it made him feel stupid and weak…just like Shelly had all those years ago. But he knew he needed closure, and closure meant finding out what had become of the woman who took his innocence and tainted his peace of mind. He clung to the hope that Shelly's abhorrent behavior had been a fluke but, as a seasoned CSI, he knew that wasn't so. She was too skilled and enjoyed it too much because not only did she not flinch when he begged and cried for her to stop…she smiled wider. Nick was confident he wasn't her first victim, but what haunted him was the fear he wasn't her last. The only thing standing in his way was finding the courage to tell his mother the shocking story that he knew would cut her deep.

Over the years, Lindsay Willows often wanted to hurt her mother, not physically, but emotionally. She wanted her mother to feel the same pain that she had trapped inside. She wanted her to know what it felt like to have someone who is supposed to love you not care…or ignore you…or act like you're the only thing in the way of a good time. For years the anger had been building inside her and Lindsay knew one day everything bottled up would come out in blaze of rage. All it would take was the right moment, the right words and the right look in her mother's eyes.

As long as she lived, Tawny knew she'd never forget the look in her mother's eyes accompanying her harsh words, 'pack up your shit and get out, you lying whore!' Once a loving mother and wife, Marta Cooper lost her mind after her husband unexpectedly died. Unfortunately for her daughter, she found comfort in the arms of a manipulative and twisted man…a man with a penchant for nubile young girls. For the last six years Tawny waited for a Prince to rescue her from the pathetic life she had made for herself out of desperation. Finally, after kissing too many frogs who never turned royal, Greg came along and changed her life forever.

One man can change everything…

Carrie Blake's life was forever changed when she was preyed upon by pedophile at the age of eight. After a year of suffering, she finally found the courage to cry out for help and her abuser was tried and locked away. Twenty two years later at the trial of another evil man, she met Nick, the guy who would make her whole again. Now, the way things were brewing inside Nick's mind, Carrie knew she would soon have a chance to return the favor and help her fiancé through a dark and difficult time.

Over the years, Warrick Brown watched Catherine struggle through life. Then one day, when the time was finally right, he let her know she didn't have to go it alone. He signed up to be the one man in her life who wouldn't disappoint her or her daughter. It wasn't easy at times, but he had no intention of quitting like his father did when he abandoned him.

Ron Grissom never thought he'd be the type of man to abandon his son. He thought by leaving, he was making things less confusing for Gil, but deep down he knew he was really just helping himself. It was a decision he came to regret over the years but fortunately, with the encouragement of his only confidant, Lina, he took a shot at reconciling with his boy and succeeded forty years later.

Fathers often have good intentions but come up short…

Scott Sanders has been trying for decades to connect with his son but it's hard to bond with your child when your wife monopolizes his time. He understood why Bev did it, having suffered through two still births Greg was her miracle child and she never wanted him out of her sight. Loving her deeply, Scott let his wife spoil their son until the habit was impossible to break. He knew it was her intense spoiling that made Greg reckless, so reckless that at the age of thirteen he boozed himself into a near-coma at a party. After that incident, Scott decided to play the heavy and he laid down the law with Greg. The distance between father and son started growing immediately.

Looking back, Jim Brass could pinpoint exactly when the distance between him and Ellie started to grow but he knew he'd give anything for a re-do, a chance at being a better husband and father. Since that was impossible, he turned to hoping for a fresh start with his grown daughter. Having done his part, getting Ellie into the best drug treatment facility in the area, it was all up to her now and he hoped that she had the strength to see it through this time.

Sometimes hope is all you have to cling to…

That's exactly what convicted murderer Mike Rodgers spent his time doing…clinging to the hope he'd soon be a free man. With a brilliant plan in motion, a loyal brother doing his bidding, and a top-notch lawyer executing his vision, Mike was feeling confident that things would go his way soon enough and when they did, he knew no one would be more shocked and devastated than Gil Grissom. Although, he was quite certain that Nick, Sara and Wendy would give Gil a run for his money in that regard. He wished he could be a fly on the wall when the devastated parties gathered to panic. In the fantasy he always imagined Nick, because he was the emotional one of the group, yelling on behalf of them all, _this can't be happening! _That's when Mike would flash his nice guy grin and reply, _I'm afraid it is, Nicky…and afraid is exactly what all of you should be.

* * *

_

**Chapter 1**

**Sunday, August 29, 2005  
****Catherine's House  
****7:57 p.m. **

On the car ride home, Catherine had informed Warrick about the shocking events that occurred between Lindsay and Ryan at the party. He was stunned by all of it but sickened by the knowledge that Lindsay could maliciously accuse an innocent boy of a crime he didn't commit.

In the backseat, Lindsay sat in silence the entire time, cognizant that accusing Ryan of sexually taking advantage of her was indeed a horrible thing to do. At the time though, after he said those vicious words, '_I don't like you. I like girls who are...' _she wanted to hurt him. Because she knew what he was going to say…_I like girls who are prettier, who have better bodies and bigger boobs._ She'd watched her mother obsesses over her appearance before dates, she'd heard her pick apart her body piece by piece, sighing and wondering if the new guy would think she was sexy enough. And she heard her mother say plenty of times, after failed relationships, that men were shallow pigs. Today Lindsay saw Ryan as nothing more than a shallow pig in training and that's why she felt comfortable putting him on a spit and watching him fry.

"Take a seat on the couch, Lindsay," Catherine ordered while tossing her keys on the coffee table.

She did as asked and prepared for the smackdown. "I already said I was sorry to Ryan and his mother, what more do you want?"

Appalled by her daughter's flippant attitude Catherine snapped, "What more do I…" Her hands flew to her head as she felt it explode. "What more do I want! A little remorse and some hints that you're not a sociopath, would be a nice start." She turned to Warrick who was standing against the wall with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "Can you help me out here? Maybe you can make her understand how serious this is."

"Linds, you know in the past I've said your mom was being too hard on you about stuff, but this time…" Shaking his head he admitted, "…I'm ready to ground you for a year. What you accused Ryan of doing could have gotten him into serious trouble, like juvenile detention center trouble. Do you see what I'm sayin'? Your mom and I work to catch people doing the same thing you did…lying about a crime."

Lindsay swallowed hard. Hearing the disappointment in her mom's tone didn't faze her, but when it resonated in Warrick's, it cut her deep. "I really am sorry."

"For** what** exactly?" Catherine demanded. "I want to hear specifics. I'm sorry for…fill in the blank."

"Lying about what I said Ryan did." Her eyes darted to Warrick's disgusted expression and then quickly to the floor.

"And…"

Lindsay mumbled, "I'm sorry for going to his room because I know I'm not allowed to be alone with a boy in his room…or my room…or the house."

Catherine pressed on to her other big concern. "And for crying out loud, why were you throwing yourself at him? You're only thirteen, that's too young. Obviously Ryan felt that way because he told you to stop. Don't you realize when you throw yourself at someone it makes you look pathetic?"

Flabbergasted, she glared at her mother. "You're one to talk. You've been throwing yourself at men for as long as I can remember."

"Excuse me!" Catherine raged. "We're talking about you, not me. Don't change the subject."

One glance at Lindsay's eyes and Warrick knew where she was going. A second later he heard it.

"Hey, Mom, guess what!" Lindsay jumped off the couch. "Everything I did today, I learned from **you**…especially **the lying**! Before Warrick got here, do you have any idea how many guys I've seen you tackle? I didn't need to watch the movie at school because it was showing in my living room weekly!"

"Sit down!" Catherine screamed.

Warrick stepped in the middle. "This is getting out of hand and…"

"And what about the lying, Mom!" Lindsay raged, ignoring Warrick. "How many times did you lie about stuff so you could get out of doing something with me, huh! Sometimes you were working, but I know there were other times you lied and went out on dates because you brought them back here when I was supposed to be sleeping. Well guess what? I was awake! I'd hear you giggling and would watch you from the crack in my door. Today with Ryan…I was just copying your moves. If you think I'm pathetic, then so are you!" Running out of the room she yelled, "Hypocrite!"

When the door slammed Catherine dropped her head in her hands, and when Warrick pulled her close she sniffled, "She's right."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****8:09 p.m. **

Driving home from her brother's house still buzzing from Gil and Sara's surprise wedding party, Carrie had chatted incessantly with her mother-in-law about the latest plans she and Nick had for their ceremony and reception. In the backseat, Nick enjoyed the happiness in his fiancée's voice and believed the levity in his mother's meant her anger over the closet incident had dissolved. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

"Have a seat, Nicholas," Jillian directed as she took one on the couch. "You didn't think I was going to drop it, did you?"

"No, ma'am." He sat in the arm chair across from her and put his bare feet up on the coffee table. A second later when her brow raised, he placed his feet on the floor.

When Carrie emerged from the bedroom where she had been changing her clothes, she took one look at the body language of both parties and knew the mood had changed.

Sighing, Jillian said, "Some mothers don't parent at all, some feel the job ends when their children turn eighteen, I've always seen it as a lifetime commitment. Nicky, I know you've appreciated that when you've needed me over the years but, it doesn't only work one way. You know I'm here to help you and love you until the day I die, right? If you and Carrie found yourselves homeless one morning with no jobs and no food, you know you'd have two plane tickets to Dallas, a roof over your head and a full belly by lunch. In return for that available level of support I'd like the right to educate you and speak my mind regarding your actions when I see fit. Does that sound like a fair deal to you?"

Nodding he confirmed, "More than fair."

"Good." She glanced over at Carrie, who was trying to look busy leaning over the computer desk. "Are you going to join us?"

"Uh…" Whirling around she stammered, "I wasn't sure if…I didn't want to make more trouble for…yes." She hurried over and took a seat on the arm of the chair Nick occupied.

Now that she had both parties' attention Jillian cut to the chase. "Here's what I heard in the hallway outside the open bedroom door: 'Baby, you feel so good. Oh, Nicky, I'm so close…oh god.'" Seeing them squirm she stopped. "You know the rest, you were there. I didn't need to hear that and certainly impressionable Ryan, Lindsay and Sean didn't. And if you're thinking you're off the hook in that regard, guess again. **Sean** was the one who told me where you were when I saw him in the kitchen. My guess is he heard plenty and took off when it overloaded his innocent mind."

Carrie and Nick exchanged guilty expressions.

As any seasoned attorney would, after stunning them with her opening statement, she proceeded to make her case. "There are two points I'd like to address. Here's the first. Both of you have careers in the public eye and aspirations to make it to the top of the ladder. If District Attorneys and Crime Lab Directors are discovered in compromising situations their careers are over. Nicky, you should know that better than anyone since you busted Ecklie."

Nick felt compelled to point out, "That's apples to oranges. Ecklie was engaging in illegal activity in a public place and cheating on his wife. Carrie and I got caught up in the moment and did something crazy one time at her brother's house…and it was totally legal."

"Was this the first time the two of you snuck off while at someone else's home and had intercourse?" Jillian asked the guilty parties on cross exam.

Carrie knew an 'A Ha' moment in the courtroom when she heard it. "No, ma'am. It was the second time. How did you find out about the pool house?"

"I overheard Sara and Tawny discussing it when I was at the spa yesterday. Do you see my point…you may think your actions were okay because you were in the company of friends, but they're not. Sara and Tawny thought they were alone in the room when they were talking, luckily it was only me who overheard them. What if it was the Sheriff's wife, or the DA's wife? Are you seeing my point? The bottom line is, don't do anything in the company of others that would discredit your reputation if discovered. How many political scandals have we endured in Dallas?" She shrilled, "Hell, look at the damage Clinton did to the entire Party! Finally we get a Democrat in the White House and because he couldn't keep it zipped we're in Bush hell again! Eight years of Dubya because Billy couldn't keep his willy in his pants."

Nick cracked a smile. "Dad and Andy are still giving you and Barbara crap about that."

"Don't change the subject, Nicolas…Mr. Independent Party."

Carrie piped up, "As a registered Democrat, I feel your pain and understand your point."

Nick wanted to pinch his fiancée for being such a suck up but being in hot water already, he sat on his hands. "Thank you for your insight, Mama. I'll most certainly follow your advice going forward. What's your second point?"

"My second point…" She cleared her throat.

"I'll get you a glass of water!" Carrie jumped up.

"I'm fine, sit down."

Carrie reclaimed her spot on the hot seat. "Let me know if you change your mind."

"My second point is a lesson for you as future parents." Although she wanted to, she didn't smile when she saw Nick take Carrie's hand, showing his obvious excitement at the prospect of a future family. "Children constantly exposed to a sexually charged environment will be negatively influenced over time. The kids in this town already have to deal with in-your-face sex every time they venture out of suburbia. McKenna was counting the Xs as we drove downtown and the sweet thing got to eighty-six."

"I agree." Carrie nodded while donning her Sex Crimes Prosecutor hat. "It can lead to Hypersexualization and premature experimentation."

"That's correct. Even though kids move faster these days, I don't think Lindsay's aggressive sexuality is the result of normal development." Carefully wording her statement she said, "This isn't a judgment, it's a fact…Catherine Willows oozes sexuality, she talks in innuendo no matter who is around, she dresses to display her assets and she's obsessive over her appearance. I wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't shielded Lindsay from any of it. That's why what seemed normal to her completely unnerved Ryan…he's probably never seen someone behave that way."

Carrie sought clarification. "So, we shouldn't demonstrate anything in front of the kids and we should watch what we say even if we think it's going over their heads?"

"By all means role model the good stuff," Jillian countered. "It's healthy to snuggle and kiss and say that you love each other around the kids, just keep it G instead of R because if they're not old enough to watch it on a movie screen, they shouldn't be viewing it in their living room. When in doubt if you're going too far, ask yourself…would I die of embarrassment if this showed up on the six o'clock news?"

"Got it." Feeling comfortable that her future mother-in-law was calm, Carrie decided now would be a good time to take responsibility. "I just want you to know that the incident today was my fault. Any animosity you have about it really should be directed at me, not Nicky, because it was all my doing."

Jillian's laughter filled the room. "With all due respect, Sweetheart, I know you love my boy but…give me a break. You expect me to believe he didn't have any say in the matter?"

"No, what I mean is…I forced him to do it."

Nick knew the 'non-accountability' angle would set off his mother but before he could take responsibility, she railed.

"You** forced **him to do it?" Jillian gaped at her son. "Is that true, Nicky? You had no say in the matter? Hell, even thirteen year old Ryan knew he had a choice and tossed Lindsay off him and told her to stop. Are you saying you didn't know that option was available to you? Am I supposed to believe you would just lay there letting a woman take advantage of you against your will? Excuse me, but I find that really hard to fathom when you've been chasing tail since you were sixteen."

When Carrie felt Nick's grip on her hand suddenly tighten she knew his mother's choice of words had triggered something.

Jillian continued, half-joking. "All that time in the gym and you can't lift Carrie off you? And what about your voice? Were you somehow rendered mute or did your fiancée simply ignore your protestations? Wait…I clearly heard your voice in the hallway and, as I recall, you didn't sound unhappy. Remember the evidence doesn't lie, Sweetheart."

After gulping down the lump in her throat Carrie said, "Actually, uh…**forced** was a poor choice of words on my part."

"I'd say it was a poor choice, Counselor," Jillian retorted. "You made it sound like my son was raped."

"I was," Nick answered in a distant tone, a victim of his subconscious longing to tell her the secret he'd harbored for far too long. A sharp inhale followed the disclosure and then he closed down.

"Nicky…" Carrie looked over and their eyes locked. He hadn't intended to tell her for days and he had a plan to break it to her gently. But looking at him she realized the train had left the station and even though neither he nor his mother was mentally prepared, there was no turning back.

Stunned that her boy could make light of the topic, Jillian blasted, "I can't believe you'd joke about something so serious."

"He's not joking," Carrie answered for him in a solemn tone.

Confused, Jillian quizzed, "What the hell are you saying? He really was raped by you? Answer me because I'm **not **amused!"

When Carrie saw Nick hanging his head she softly said, "Jillian…you had no idea what you said would hurt him but…"

Desperate to understand what was going on, Jillian snipped, "Nick, you know I've never approved of your sexual antics so it shouldn't hurt your feelings when I call you on it. Now stop letting Carrie talk for you and tell me why you tossed that word around so lightly."

"Please! Stop pushing him," Carrie tensely ordered as she felt Nick's body start to shake. "Just back off!" Like that day over the phone when he had a breakthrough, she knew the door had opened for Nick and he was walking through it, only this time the anger would be directed at his mother, not his abuser.

Incensed by the disrespectful tone Jillian barked, "Don't you dare to talk to me that way."

"I'm sorry, but look at him," Carrie answered as tears welled in her eyes. "Does he look like he's joking? Can't you see he's falling apart?"

"No…she doesn't." Nick found his voice and his words were chosen by his wounded heart, not his head. "She didn't figure it out that night, and she's not catching on now either. She only sees what she wants to see. She sees a crystal clear picture when **I'm** screwing up but not when **she** does. How the hell didn't you figure it out? It wasn't the stomach flu!" He struggled to fight the rage building.

Jumping up, Carrie stepped in front of him to reason. "Nicky…you're blindsiding your Mom here and you need to calm down. Both of you need to calm down. This isn't how it was supposed to come out. We talked about the right way, remember?" But she knew all too well that years of bottled-up anger, like a dormant volcano erupting, can't be stopped.

"Sit down, Darlin'," he curtly instructed as his heart and mind raced. "I'm about to ooze some of that vulnerability you like and I want you to have a front seat."

The iciness of her son's tone and eyes stunned Jillian as did Carrie's immediate compliance to his request. "Nicky…I'll listen to whatever you've got on your mind, but you need to stay calm and show some respect to your fiancée and to me."

"Yes, ma'am," he snarked, "I'll focus on that while I'm baring my soul telling you how I was terrorized by the babysitter you left me with when I was nine."

"What?" More confused than ever, Jillian wished her boy would cut to the chase. Like the saying goes…be careful what you wish for.

"Did you know anything about her before you left me alone with her? Anything?"

Watching Carrie swipe a tear Jillian pleaded, "Son…what babysitter? What do you mean…"

"Her name was Shelly, that's all I remember." Leaning forward he added, "That and everything else she did to me in my bedroom under the covers while I screamed."

Looking at Carrie, Jillian said, "This is why he said yes when I asked if he was…"

Carrie nodded in silence and watched Jillian's heart break as Nick continued to devastate her.

"You think Sean was traumatized by what he heard coming from the closet today?" Standing up, Nick began pacing the room. "I think you don't know the meaning of childhood trauma. That **bitch** didn't leave an inch of me unexplored, Mama!" he boomed.

Both women jumped.

"You and your hypersexualized environment talk…the most **hypersexualized **place I ever was…the most **unsafe** place I ever was growing up…was under **your **roof, god dammit!" He raged as he paced. "You think kids shouldn't **see **inappropriate things in their living rooms. How about having it done to them in their bedrooms? What's your take on that!"

"Please try to calm down, Honey," Carrie urged but knew he didn't hear her.

"She assaulted me with her hands, her body, even my toys!" Sinking deeper into the painful memory his voice cracked. "I cried out but no one was there to help me because the person you hired to watch out for me was doing it to me!"

"Nicky…" Jillian held her sickening stomach and tried to make sense of it all.

"Answer me this time! Did you know **anything** about her? Or were you just so god damn focused on getting to the big party you didn't bother to care?"

Finally recalling the night and the girl Jillian responded, "She um…was a friend of Dana's. Dana told us…she told us Shelly was an A student and a member of the church choir." Shaking uncontrollably she continued stammering, "She…she was from a good Dallas family. And when your father and I met her that night, she seemed…like a nice girl." Her tears flowed on the last word.

"Well, I guess the apple didn't fall far the tree," Nick announced in a raw voice. "I thought Mike Rodgers was a nice guy and left him alone with Sara, but he turned out to be a maniacal rapist too." After shrugging he nodded, "At least I know where I got my inability to judge a person's character from…I could have used that earlier when Ken was throwing it in my face. And while we're speaking about character..." He moved in closer, staring her down. "All those times you were blasting me about my womanizing, did it **ever** occur to you that I might have issues beyond an overactive libido? Did you ever think that maybe I couldn't maintain a relationship with a woman because I couldn't trust one? That maybe I was using them because the first sexual experience I ever had was a woman using me and I was looking for a little payback? No, you never did." His voice faded. "Maybe you would have thought about it all a little harder if I was one of your cases instead of just your disappointing son."

Unable to watch Jillian suffer alone, Carrie went and sat next to her, taking her into her arms. The scenario was sadly familiar because she saw it on the job when parents were confronted with the shocking reality that their child had been abused. "I know all of this is really hard to hear," she soothed. "But…"

"Hard to **hear**!" Nick shouted, hurt that Carrie was directing her compassion towards his mother and not him. "I had to live through it because of her leaving me with that monster, the least she can do is hear about it! Carrie, you know first hand what I'm talking about. Yeah, your dad was outraged when he heard what happened to you, but do you really believe him hearing about it was harder than having that monster shove…"

"Don't!" Carrie yelled as she bit back her tears. "I know you want to hurt your mom because you think she let you get hurt, but it doesn't solve anything to go down that road. There's only** one** bad person in the equation…the abuser, everyone else is a victim. How many times have you heard me say that? How many times has Sara beaten it into your head that it wasn't your fault that she was almost raped by Mike? How many times, Nicky! You were duped about him. Your mom was duped about Shelly. And you're both hurting right now. The difference is…you knew this was coming and your mom didn't. Look at her …she's completely overwhelmed. **Please, **she needs some time to absorb it all." With teary eyes she begged, "Please…if not for her, then for me."

Carrie's words jarring him out of his anger trance, Nick saw and heard his mother's heartache for the first time. "Uh…" Suddenly overcome with guilt for lacing into her so hard he panicked. "I've got to go." He rushed for the door.

"Don't drive!" Carrie shouted, knowing he was still over the legal alcohol limit and too emotional to get behind the wheel. When she saw him grab his sneakers instead of his keys, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Call me so I don't worry!"

"You know I always do," He answered automatically as he did when he got left in the middle of the night sometimes to cover a shift.

After the door shut, she returned to comforting Jillian. "He needed to get that out. He'll cool off and…" When she realized her words were being drowned out by Jillian's sobs, Carrie stopped talking and just held her tight.

**The Townhouse  
****9:17 p.m. **

"Will you hold still," Tawny ordered as she applied the hair color to Greg's head. In preparation for their trip, she was helping him achieve the California beach vibe she decided he should have. On the way home from the party they had picked up a box of L'Oreal Wheat Blonde at Walgreens and stopped at The Sun Spot to get him a Mist-On tan session.

"Sorry, I've always dyed my hair myself, it's weird having someone else do it." Staring nervously at his dark forearms he remarked, "I think we went overboard on the tan." He glanced up at his reflection in the bathroom mirror from his position on the toilet. "Yeah…definitely."

"It will lighten once you take a shower and the bronzer washes off." Rubbing in the hair color Tawny chuckled, "Honey, you looked way too pale today playing volleyball."

Looking at his coffee-colored skin he returned her laugh. "Yeah, but I'm Scandinavian, not Jamaican."

"You looked Transylvanian." Done with the application she peeled off her latex gloves.

"I do have the urge to nibble on your neck right now. And check this out…" He fanned out the plastic cape she had put around him. "I have a black cape and everything." In a vampire accent he inquired, "Up for a little role play, Dahhling?"

"Stop moving…" she warned while giggling at his pathetic vampire impersonation. "You'll drip dye on the floor and we're renters."

"Rent-free renters."

"All the more reason not to damage the place. Set your watch alarm for thirty minutes." She dried her hands on a towel and proceeded to the large garden tub. "Care to join me in a bubble bath, Count Chuckula?"

"Just don't add any holy water." He carefully removed the cape and his shirt.

Pouring in a second capful of Tropical Breeze bubble bath she posited, "How did you survive church today with all those crosses?"

"The Pastor invited me in."

"Ahhh…that's right, an invitation does the trick." Tossing her clothes she stepped into the steamy tub as it filled. "So, are you planning on going back to church?" After seeing three of her ex-customers and one of her ex-lovers in the pews, she had no intention of returning.

"I'll go for Nick's wedding," he replied while shoving down his shorts and boxer briefs. "I do have to stop by the hospital to see Mrs. Hughes tomorrow and tell her I gave it a shot. She'll be bummed I wasn't reborn. Would you go with me?"

"Of course." Sensing he was anxious about it Tawny said, "For what it's worth, I think you didn't need to be reborn today because you're fine just the way you are. So, don't sweat it, no matter what Mrs. Hughes says to you. And Greg…I know you want to be a nice guy and it's hard for you to say no to her but…after tomorrow, you need to say goodbye. I don't think it's helping your _fear of dying_ nightmares to keep talking to the mother of the guy who tried to kill you, especially when she's a religious fanatic trying to convince you to find religion before you die." Tawny splashed the water. "Come on in."

He did as requested, lying back against the marble and letting Tawny fall back into his arms. "Warrick thought I was nuts for going to church because Tucker's mother asked me to. He totally ripped on me saying I was such a mama's boy I can't even say no to another boy's mama. He's right…I'm a wimp." Groaning he said, "But with you there with me I'll be able to cut the cord…but I want to do it without hurting her feelings." He wrapped his arms around her, smoothed his hand over her bulge and changed the subject. "Speaking of cutting the cord...it's getting bigger." His smile unfurled.

"Eleven weeks big." She slipped out of his arms to shut off the water then quickly returned. "I'm going to ask for a rematch of the trivia game at the next party."

"You're **still** bummed we came in second place?" Laughing at his overly competitive woman, Greg grabbed the soap and lathered up his hands. "How about a massage to chill you out?"

"Seriously, I figure if we start asking each other questions now and keep it up until our wedding…we'll know everything about each other."

"Uh…if you know that much about me, you probably won't want to marry me." Caressing her soapy body he teased, "Haven't you figured out I'm moving really fast so you don't have time to figure out I'm a dud?"

She ignored him. "What's your favorite book?"

"The Kama Sutra of course," he responded while nibbling on her ear. "Yours?"

"Be serious!" She slapped the water in frustration. "You're supposed to be baring your soul. I'll narrow it down…favorite children's book when you were growing up."

"Winnie the Pooh because my grandmother used to read it to me. I loved it so much I would pretend my stuffed animals would come to life just like Christopher Robin's."

"Even Mr. Peebles?" she giggled, finding the concept of a stuffed donkey as a comfort item just as amusing as Nick.

"Yeah…he was a real smart ass though so the other stuffies didn't like him."

"Good one, Chuckles. Mine was Sleeping Beauty…no surprise there, huh?" She kissed his cheek. "Hey…what was the name of the first girl you kissed?" Tawny cracked up. "I know the first guy was Hodges and I know the first girl wasn't the elusive Becca."

"No, Becca never budged from the top spot on my _dying to kiss_ list." He laughed. "That is until July of this year when I met you and tore up the mental list. I actually did have it in writing in high school. It's probably in my old room somewhere." He laughed hard. "Actually, my mom probably has it in her scrapbook."

Sighing Tawny said, "I'd love to meet this ex-fantasy girl of yours."

"You will on Friday."

"What!" She bolted up in the tub.

"At the club…she'll be at…"

"You never told me she's** still** in California!"

"I thought it was implied when my mom was talking about her." Confused, he asked, "You just said you wished you could meet her so, what's the big deal?"

"Oh my god! I didn't really mean it! It was a figure of speech." Clutching her head she breathed erratically. "I had a nightmare about this, but I didn't think it mattered because she wasn't around, but now that I know she's around..."

"Breathing…breathing…" Greg coached. "Hey, I'll be good in the delivery room, don't you think?"

Tawny continued sharing the details of her nightmare. "Becca suddenly realizes what a big mistake she made all these years and tells you she wants to be with you just as you're about to propose to me and you give my ring to her!"

Laughing he said, "That nightmare…her realizing she must have me, used to be my dream. Trust me, I know it can seem **very** real when you're sleeping but, it never happened in reality and it won't on Friday. And even if it did, you're the one having my babies, not her. And you will be the one wearing my r…"

"So, are you saying that if we were in California together and I wasn't pregnant, you'd go for it if Becca offered?"

"Oh, I get it." He nodded as he watched the panic build in her eyes. "This is one of the conversations where I can't possibly say the right thing. Nick warned me about this scenario and told me how to handle it." Standing up he smiled. "I'm shutting up now and getting you some chocolate."

**The Blakes  
****9:29 p.m. **

Once Ashley and McKenna were asleep and Sean was in bed with his head buried in a book, Wendy went to Ryan's door and knocked lightly. "It's Mom, I'm coming in." She waited briefly and then opened the door. She was stunned to find him reading. "What do you have there?"

"A book." He closed it quickly and dropped it beside him.

The move making her suspicious, Wendy stepped beside the bed and took the book. Fanning through the pages of Treasure Island, she checked to see if he had booty pictures hidden inside.

"I was **reading **it, not using it to hide something," he droned.

Feeling guilt for the second time that day, Wendy took a seat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry. It's just…after fighting with you to pick up a book for the entire school year it was hard to believe you were actually reading one on your own."

Lying on the bed he shrugged. "Nick said I need to keep up my grades if I want to stay on the football team in high school and college."

"Ah." She smiled and returned the book making a mental note to thank Nick for that too. "How about we go to Barnes and Noble tomorrow and get you a few new ones. Maybe the Harry Potter books? Because you like the movies."

"That would be cool. I hear people talking about them at school."

"It's a plan then…just you and me. Your dad has the day off and he can watch everyone else. I'll take you to lunch too…you pick the place."

Confused by the spoiling Ryan asked, "Shouldn't you be punishing me, not rewarding me?"

"Honestly…" Wendy lowered her head. "I feel really bad about how I handled things today. You shouldn't have had a girl in your room, but I never said not to so, you weren't breaking a rule. And you didn't lie about anything. And you knew that you shouldn't be doing what Lindsay wanted to do. You did everything right."

"Kinda hard to believe from me, huh?"

"A mother should have more faith in her child." Brushing her son's hair off his forehead Wendy smiled. "My mom didn't believe me about something very serious once and it hurt real bad. I should have known to give you the benefit of the doubt no matter what you've done in the past to make me think you're irresponsible. I promise I'll do better in the future."

"There won't be a next time," Ryan emphatically stated. "I'm hanging a 'no girls allowed' sign on my door in the morning."

Finding her smile again Wendy said, "Except for me and your sisters, right?"

"I guess." He smiled back. "Can we put my trophies in the living room?"

"Why?" She glanced over at his full shelves and teased, "I thought you liked to lie here and admire them."

"I do, but if they're in here and I don't let girls in my room, how will I ever impress them when I do want them to kiss me?"

She threw a pillow at him. "You have my sense of humor you know." Shaking her head she asked, "Have you decided what you want to do for your birthday party?"

"Laser Tag and pizza with the guys. What did Sean ask to do?"

"I'll tell you if you promise not to make fun of him." Wendy sighed, still amazed by the request and that she said yes.

"I promise." He hoped he could keep it.

Closing her eyes she said, "He asked to go to Mr. Grissom's body farm."

**The Grissom's  
****9:48 p.m. **

As she sat in her home office sifting through mail, Sara realized how quiet the house was compared to the mayhem at the Blakes. It was a reminder of how kids change everything. As usual when she had that thought, Sara felt a twinge of panic and wondered…would a child really fit into this world of books and bugs?

At the BBQ she had observed how at ease Nick and Greg were with the kids. They were both naturals. Gil, on the other hand, fit in with the adults and Sean, who was an adult trapped in an adolescent body. What stood out the most was his inability to connect with McKenna and it fueled her concern about potentially having a girl instead of a bug-loving, Body Farm intrigued boy. Not that girls couldn't have those interests too but, scientifically speaking, a boy's brain wiring would increase the odds. Even still, Ryan had no inclination to dig up beetles or watch flesh rot. There were no guarantees.

In silence she lamented over how Nick and Greg seemed to be able to flex their personalities to get along with any of the children while Gil looked at Ryan and McKenna as if they were alien life forms and politely smiled. Then she realized that's how Nick and Greg were with adults too…personable and comfortable, not words that were commonly used to describe her husband's interpersonal skills or lack thereof.

Catching a glimpse of her reflection on the glass of a framed picture on the wall, Sara remembered her husband wasn't the only one who had issues relating. Then she saw the diamond ring on her finger and was reminded that she and Gil had already come a long way…but only amongst friends. What would happen when their child went to school? She had heard Wendy speak of volunteering in the classroom, PTO meetings, kids birthday parties at Chuck E Cheese and other parent interaction nightmares. How would they navigate those interpersonal minefields?

"Penny for your thoughts," Gil said from the doorway to his wife's office.

"Uh…" Grabbing a pile of mail she replied, "The junk mail really piles up quickly, doesn't it?"

"That's not what you were thinking about."

"Would you believe I was letting my insecurities get the better of me and obsessing over how I'll get along with our unborn child's classmates' moms?"

Nodding he entered the office. "That I believe." He took a seat on the edge of her desk. "Was it the PTO bake sale or the birthday party at Chuck Cheese fueling your paranoia this time?"

"Chuck **E **Cheese." She slumped in her chair. "I know it's irrational. I just don't want our child to be a pariah like…"

"Me."

"Or me." She smiled. "Not that there's anything wrong with you…well, not since you wised up and married me."

"Is that so, Mrs. Grissom?" Leaning over, he waited for her to join her lips with his, the warmth of the kiss melting away any negative thoughts.

"So…" She sat reclined back in her desk chair, enjoying the taste of her husband's minted breath on her tongue. "Did you find a good spot for the birdhouse?"

"I hung it on a tree viewable from the kitchen window so it can be enjoyed while preparing meals." He smirked before finishing his wise-ass statement. "So I guess that means you won't be seeing it much."

"Keep it up and you'll be sleeping alone on your one-month just married honeymoon." Resuming her mail sifting she chuckled. "I doubt that's much of a threat since we already consummated our union in your dad's limo." She wondered if Ron and Lina had shared a kiss when they drove Gil's Mercedes home.

"Yep." He stood up returning her laughter and headed for the door. "I'm through with you for the night. Besides…I want to be well rested for my first day back at the lab tomorrow. My suspension is over in eight hours…not that I'm counting."

"You're too busy drooling in excitement to count." With her silver letter opener Sara sliced into a pale yellow envelope. "Hmm…"

"What?" He stopped in the doorway.

"Someone sent me a birthday card from Oswego, New York." She stared at the postmark on the envelope. "I don't know anyone there and no one ever sends me a birthday card in the mail except my dentist or insurance agent."

"Well open it and find out." His curious mind hated suspense.

A smile unfurled on her face. "Is this one of your tricks?" She flashed her ring. "Like when you put my diamond ring in a package and pretended it must be the framed butterfly I ordered?" Suddenly excited she guessed, "Is it opera tickets?"

"Sorry…" He came to rest standing next to her. "I'm getting creative for your birthday but, since it's not for two weeks I haven't put my plan into motion yet."

"Hmm." Reaching in, she pulled out the flowery card and studied the words decorating the front.

**I'd never forget your special day…**

Gil watched closely as Sara opened the card.

**Because I'm always thinking of you.  
Happy Birthday!**

In unison their eyes read the words handwritten below the card's greeting.

_Will Gil remember your birthday this year, Sara?  
Or will he be a jerk and let you down again?  
He doesn't deserve you, Sara.  
He's never deserved you._

_A woman like you needs a real man to keep her warm at night.  
One day we'll be together.  
Make a wish on your candles to make it happen soon.  
Happy Birthday…celebrate it like it's your last._

"Don't move," Gil ordered as he rushed out of the room to grab his kit.

Sara saw the card shaking. "It's him." She always knew they hadn't heard the last from Mike Rodgers because he wasn't the type to let someone else have the last laugh. He was the type of guy who smiled at his girlfriend before pushing her over the edge of a cliff.

With his kit in hand Gil returned panting. "It's just talk, Sara." Snapping on a pair of gloves he soothed, "You know how they like to mark anniversaries from behind bars. They get bitter." He took the card from her trembling hands and slipped it into a plastic evidence bag. Then he packaged the envelope and the letter opener Sara had used. "Come here." Taking her in his arms he soothed, "Don't let him win. It's just words on a card. It's his only recourse."

Locking her eyes on his Sara asked in a tremulous voice, "Is it?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Chapter 2 will post on Saturday, 8/20

Maggs


	2. Chapter 2

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 2**

**Sunday, August 28, 2005  
****Catherine's House  
****10:07 p.m. **

As he knocked on Lindsay's bedroom door, Warrick prepared for an icy reception. "I know you don't want to talk but at least it's me knocking, and not your mom."

"You got that right…come in." She didn't budge from her position lying on the bed staring at the ceiling.

He stepped inside the room, leaving the door ajar. "Your mom and I have been discussing you for two hours."

"That has to be a record for my mother," she snipped. "I'm sure it was your idea."

"Linds…" Warrick grabbed her desk chair and rolled it over toward the bed. Taking a seat he sighed, "Drop the 'tude or I'll send in your mom."

She sat up immediately and smiled. "What's up?"

"I know things around here were a little crazy before your mom and I got together and I know you saw stuff you weren't supposed to see but, Linds…you know your mom did a lot of things she doesn't ever want you to do." Leaning forward he lowered his voice to a sympathetic tone. "That doesn't make her a hypocrite, it makes her knowledgeable. She knows the consequences and she doesn't want you to suffer them like she did. She loves you, that's why she goes off when you do crazy things. Are you hearing me?"

"Yeah."

"You're lucky Ryan is a nice boy. You're playing with fire jumpin' guys." Sitting back he crossed his arms. "What if you egged him on and he pushed you further than you were willing to go?"

"I would have kicked him in the nuts."

"You think it's that simple, huh?" He shook his head. "It's not. There are guys who can overpower me so I know there are guys who can overpower you. Ryan could have if he really wanted to. And if a guy happens to have a weapon on him…forget it. Your mom wants to bring home casefiles and show you what a girl who provoked the wrong guy looks like in the morgue. I told her I think you're smart enough to hear what I'm sayin' without the visuals."

Lindsay moved her eyes to the floor.

"Now I've got some news…you're gonna hate it but, you your mom and me both agree on this."

She returned his gaze. "How long am I grounded for?"

"Two weeks, but that's not what I'm talking about." After taking a deep breath he dropped the bomb. "Your mother had filled out an application for a private school at the start of the summer. You got in. She wasn't going to send you but after today…we both think it will be good for you to be in a smaller environment and around some new friends."

"No way!" She never saw it coming and now that it had she was devastated. "You can't!"

"It's a done deal." He stood, figuring she'd need some time alone to cope. "Your mom e-mailed the Principal of Butterfield Academy to confirm you'll be taking the spot. It's an exclusive school with great academic programs…and a very structured, take no-BS environment."

"Anything but this!" she pleaded. "I don't know anyone there!"

"You'll know one person." At the door he smiled. "Apparently Sean Blake got a full scholarship."

"Ugh! That** proves** it's a school for geeks!" Crashing against the bed Lindsay shut her eyes. "Wake me up from this nightmare!"

**Crime Lab  
****10:21 p.m. **

Gil impatiently paced the lobby waiting for Brass to arrive. With his security clearance suspended in the computer system until six the next morning, he couldn't get in so Sara had gone on without him.

"I got here as fast as I could," Jim announced as he rushed over to the security desk. "Dr. Grissom will be accompanying me," he informed the access officer while Gil signed the visitor log and clipped on a guest badge. It was a legal way around the suspension penalty. Slapping his buddy on the back Jim smiled, "Being the Assistant Director has its privileges and I'm always glad to abuse my power for a friend in need."

"I appreciate you putting your neck on the line." Gil followed him through the doors as they buzzed open.

"Do you think it's Rodgers?"

"The wording leads me to believe that, yes. Who else would want to upset her **and **know details about her birthday last year…particularly that I ignored it?" He cringed at the memory and what happened as a result of his dysfunction with Sara. "Without the malicious intent, my first inclination would be to think it's a joke from Catherine, but clearly it was written to unnerve Sara…which it did."

Heading straight for Trace, they hurried down the hall.

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment**

**10:43 p.m. **

Eager to return to Jillian's side, Carrie hustled into the living room with two Tylenol PM and a full glass of water. "Here you go. These will help with the headache and let you get some rest."

For the last two hours Carrie had comforted and counseled her future mother-in-law, tenderly filling in the holes made by Nick's bombshell. She shared everything Nick had relayed to date…Shelly's skilled manipulation and seduction, how his guilt and fear over breaking so many house rules played right into her hands, and why he was too ashamed to tell that night as well as all these years. She took it as well as could be expected.

However, watching a woman as confident and loving as Jillian being ripped apart by the devastating truth, was taking its toll on Carrie.

After finally outing her abuser when she was nine, Carrie had been sheltered from the trauma that ensued. When she told her dark secret to her fifteen year old brother Paul on the way to swim practice one afternoon, he immediately called the police. Shortly thereafter, a social worker had Carrie in protective custody while her parents were informed of the news. At nine she wasn't at ground zero but today she was and watching Jillian she realized the hell her mother must have gone through.

"Thank you," Jillian whispered as she set the half-empty glass of water on the coffee table. "For the water, the pills, and most of all for being so strong for Nicky and me. As painful as this is, I'm glad you got it out of him after all these years. I know this can't be easy for you because of your background and…" Her emotions getting the best of her again she just nodded. Among other things, her son's deep and immediate bond with Carrie now made perfect sense. He could trust Carrie not to hurt him because she had suffered similarly but, unlike him, she had confronted it long ago. "How long have you been helping him deal with this?" she asked in a weak voice.

"Since our first date," She answered warmly while settling back on the couch. "He asked why I chose to work in the Sex Crimes division of the DA's office in Seattle. I told him my story." He was stunned that I flung it right out there." Smiling she said, "Those were his exact words…I can't believe you just flung that out there. I told him I had nothing to be ashamed about because I was the victim. A few minutes later, he shyly admitted he liked doing his job for the same reason…then he told me he didn't want to talk about it." Her smile brightened. "He says that's the moment he fell in love me…when I didn't pressure him but let him know I'd listen if he ever wanted to talk. It's been coming out in dribs and drabs ever since but it wasn't until last week that the flood gates opened and he remembered everything in vivid detail."

Trying to find a happier port in the emotional storm Jillian inquired, "So…he fell in love with you on your first date. When did you fall in love with him?"

Chuckling sweetly she replied, "The next day…"

_After flashing the LVPD identification badge around his neck to McCarran Airport security and explaining he was escorting a witness, Nick was able to accompany Carrie to her gate. Until then, they had been passing the time hanging out in the lounge, getting to know each other. _

_"I'm starting to think you're going to stow away in the plane's luggage compartment," she teased as Nick picked up her bag from the security table. _

_After slinging her bag over his shoulder he took her hand. "I'm a gentleman from Texas. I have to walk a lady to her door." _

_Squeezing his hand Carrie sweetly replied, "This girl from Seattle doesn't have a problem with that." Their second date, an early dinner at a casual Italian restaurant and a ride to the airport, had been even more fun than their first venture out together the previous night. _

_"Since I can't walk you to your real door, will you promise to call me when you get home?" _

_"Yes, I have your cell number programmed into my phone." She leaned against a pillar in the far corner of the waiting area. "I guess that makes us equally optimistic that this isn't goodbye." _

_Glancing around at the people bustling about Nick asked, "Would it be really awkward for you if we shared our first real kiss in this crowd?" _

_"Yes, it would be really awkward!" she giggled as her eyes drifted to his lips. A second later the thump of her heart was as loud as the 737 revving its engine just outside the window and she realized that if she didn't do it now, she wouldn't get to taste those delicious lips for twenty-one long, lonely days. "Well…maybe not that awkward." _

_Dropping her bag, Nick wrapped his arms around Carrie's waist, pulling her close. Then, with his eyes locked on hers he soulfully whispered, "I'm head over heels, Darlin' and these are going to be the three longest weeks of my life." _

_"Oh…" before their lips met she melted, and when they did, the velvet kiss released a hundred butterflies in her stomach. _

**_This is the final boarding call for Flight 17 to Seattle_**

_"What? How can that be?" Carrie lamented when they came up for air after their umpteenth kiss. "I had so much time." _

_"Time flies when you're having fun." He stole one last kiss then picked up her bag. "Remember…call me when you get home." When she didn't answer or move he nudged her. "Sweetheart…you have to go." _

_"Huh?" She was busy contemplating if she should take a later flight even if it would only prolong her wrapping things up in Washington so she could move to Vegas. _

_Nick took her hand and led her to the door. "Call me when you land in Seattle." _

_"I will." Reluctantly, she took the bag from his hand. _

_"Take this too." After pulling it from his pocket, he extended a pack of bubble gum. "For your ears…in case they pop when you fly." _

_"They usually do," she dreamily replied. _

_The flight attendant, Brad, coughed loudly. "Boarding pass?" _

_"Oh!" Snapping out of her romantic haze, Carrie reached into her purse. "Sorry." After handing it over she halfheartedly waved goodbye and took a few steps back. "I'll call you." _

_Nick held up his cell. "I'll be waiting." Right before she was about to disappear from view he yelled, "Hey, Carrie!" When she turned he flashed a radiant smile. "Would it be too awkward for you in front of this really annoyed flight attendant who clearly thinks I'm the biggest sap walking the planet if I told you that even though it's only been twenty-four hours, I've fallen madly in love with you and that it's a big deal for me because I've never felt that way or said that to or about anyone in my life?" _

_"Yes, it would be **very **awkward!" She covered her mouth so he wouldn't see her outrageous smile._

_Laughing he said, "Okay then…I'll keep it to myself." _

Carrie sighed with pleasure as she continued recalling the sweet memory. "So, my flight ends up being delayed when it stops in Reno. After a while I go to the bathroom, with plans to call Nick afterwards but…I drop my cell phone with his phone number programmed into it right down the toilet as it's flushing."

Even though an hour ago she thought she'd never smile again, one appeared on Jillian's face. "So you couldn't call."

"By the time I got home, four hours later than planned, Nick had left four messages on my voicemail…one every hour. He had called and found out my flight was delayed on a mechanical and was worried." Her smile was stretched to its maximum. "And while I was giddily listening to the messages for the third time, my neighbor came over with a vase of red and yellow roses from him that had been delivered an hour earlier." Nodding she said, "I was on cloud nine and I really haven't come down since…well I do a little when I smell Nick's shoes or find his boxer briefs on the floor but for the most part, I'm still floating." Taking Jillian's hand she gave it a squeeze. "I have a wonderful man and he's wonderful because of the fantastic job you did raising him. One mistake, one night doesn't erase all the great parenting you did. I know Nick as well as I know myself now…he feels ashamed and guilty about what he said to you, that's why he ran out of here. He had a much gentler way planned."

"It's been hours," Jillian said, worrying about her emotionally distraught son. "I was sure he'd call you by now."

Truthfully, Carrie thought he would have called too. "He didn't take his phone or his wallet. I'm sure he's walking around clearing his head. If you think you'll be okay, I'd like to get in the car and look for him."

"Go ahead, Dear. The Tylenol PM is starting to make me sleepy." She stood and took a deep breath. "I'm going to turn in for the night and pray that Nicky is here in the morning so we can talk this through."

Carrie rose to her feet and gave Jillian a hug. "Don't worry…everything will be all right."

**The Townhouse  
****11:01 p.m. **

Talking on the phone with his mother, Greg laughed. "I can't wait to get there either. As you know…I have big plans."

"Hey, Greg…someone who stopped by to drop off donations for the Back to School Book Drive wants to talk to you." Bev giggled uncontrollably after her statement. "Hold on…"

Kicking back on the bed, he enjoyed the music wafting out of the Beosound 9000 music system…Bob Marley's Three Little Birds.

"Hey there, Hojie," The sultry voice on the other end of the phone greeted. "Guess who?"

Stunned, he bolted up in bed. "Becca?"

"Your mom told me you were coming home for Labor Day. I can't wait to see you."

"Uh…" Jumping out of bed he raced to shut the bedroom door so Tawny wouldn't hear who he was talking to and get jealous.

"I wasn't myself the last time you were home. I had some crazy shit going on. I know you've heard Peter and I got divorced. I really need your shoulder, Hojie. Remember all those times I cried on your shoulder in high school? You were the only one who could mend my broken heart."

"Yeah…" Leaning against the wall he rolled his eyes. "So you could turn around and give it to another guy…or back to the same guy you were crying over. Cough…senior prom…cough."

"It's not like you wanted it," she laughed sweetly. "I'm hardly your type…I'm a girl."

"About that…" Clearing his throat he said, "I don't know where you got the idea I'm gay, but I'm not. I'm not even Bi. And I'm not in denial because I tested the waters and the results were positive for heterosexuality."

"But what about the pirate shirts and the eyeliner?"

"I was pissing off my dad, Becs." Lounging comfortably on the bed he laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Disappoint me? Are you kidding? This is the best news I've had all year. Don't you see? Now that I'm divorced and you're not gay, we can be together."

"Actually…"

"I've had fantasies about you."

"What?" He stammered, "**You**…had fantasies…about **me**?" Glancing at his reflection in the closet mirror he found it hard to believe that he was her fantasy man.

"But they always made me feel so naughty because I thought you were gay and I thought lusting after a gay man made me deviant. But now I can be your girl, just like I've always wanted to be. I'm hurting, Hojie…and only you can take away the pain."

"Becca…" Feeling bad that she was so vulnerable he wanted to let her down gently. "I'm with someone…not casually either. I love her. I'm asking her to marry me when I'm out there."

"Break it off with her."

"What?" He couldn't believe his ears. "No can do, she's pregnant with my twins and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. It's too late, Becca." His voice lowered an octave. "I gave you plenty of chances but…you broke my heart every time."

"I don't think you heard me. Break it off with the tramp. Dump her…**now!**"

"What's gotten into you?" Her voice was so icy he swore the phone felt cold. "I know the divorce was rough but…"

"You know I **always **get my way. If you bring that bimbo here, there will be hell to pay. I'll see to it personally. Hell! Isn't that what you're scared of Mr. Sanders? Going to hell?"

"Um…" Covering the phone he yelled for Tawny. "Honey!"

"She can't hear you." Becca laughed maniacally. "She can't help you. No one can because you're un-saveable…just ask Mrs. Hughes."

"How do you know about Mrs. Hughes?" His heart started pounding and the phone turned to ice. "Tawny!"

"I told you…she can't help you…no one can…because you're as good as dead."

"Stop it!" Rocking on the bed he shouted, "Stop messing with my head!"

"You tried to kill yourself, Hoj, and everything since…it's been a dream. You've been in a coma, a persistent vegetative state, since you were thirteen and all of this…this sweet life you think you have…the friends, the job, the girl, it's not real. Do you honestly think a girl as gorgeous and fun as Tawny would be interested in you? Right! You're dreaming…**literally**."

"Stop it! I never told you about my secret. This can't be…" Paralyzed with fear he couldn't leave the bed. "Tawny!"

"Duh!" Becca taunted. "You can't move because you're in a coma."

"Help me!" He begged, "Tawny, please help me…please..."

"You know who Tucker Mifflin really was? He was deathpersonified in your dream. He was supposed to get you that day but your mother wouldn't let the doctors pull the plug. Poor Bev…she can't let you go of you, but that will be changing soon. Your dad is going to file papers. Once you're daddy's boy instead of mommy's…the plug will be pulled and life as you know it will be over. Bev will be devastated, just like she was that day she found you an inch from death's door. It's been a long time coming, Gregory Hojem Sanders, but judgment day is right around the corner."

"Tawny!" Tears and sweat poured down his cheeks. "No! I want to live! Don't…"

"Greg….Greg…" Tawny held him as he thrashed. His screams had woken her and she had been trying desperately to snap him out of this latest night terror. "It's just another nightmare. Just a nightmare…shhh…I've got you." Brushing his sweat-drenched hair off his forehead she smiled into his open eyes. "It's okay. Really. I'm right here."

Reaching up he placed his hand on her cheek, the warmth of her skin immediately relaxing him. "You're real."

"Everything but my boobs." She smiled brighter as she started out of bed. "I'll get you some ice water."

"Don't go." Pulling her down onto his chest he breathed out. "This is all I need."

"Was it really bad?" Tawny softly asked as she snuggled him. "Because it seemed like the worst one yet."

"Yeah…now they even have background mood music…Three Little Birds was playing. I really thought they'd be getting better, not worse, but new stuff keeps popping up and mingling with the old material and…" He clutched her tight and worked to steady his breathing. "I think I'm just going to write Mrs. Hughes a note instead of going to see her tomorrow."

"You write really good notes," she whispered sweetly. "Gil and Sara were so moved by what you wrote about the birdhouse. Yeah…a note is exactly how you should handle it."

Closing his eyes he took a cleansing breath. "That settles it…I'll send Mrs. Hughes a nice card…and some candy…and a little vase of flowers or maybe a plant."

In a parental tone of warning she spoke his name. "Gregory..."

"You're right…just the card."

**Crime Lab  
****11:07 p.m. **

Staring at the enhanced image of the hand written message on the large wall screen, Sara, Gil and Jim remained silent. The actual card was in Trace with Hodges.

"I've got his personnel file," Sofia announced as she returned to the room. "Plenty of handwriting samples for Ex-Officer Rodgers."

Even though Gil was certain it would be a dead end he went with protocol. "Scan for comparison, Min." She was the new handwriting expert on staff and came with fantastic credentials.

Sara released a labored sigh. "You don't really think he wrote it in his normal handwriting, do you?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised how people slip up when they're trying to pull something off," Min countered.

Her emotions getting the best of her Sara retorted, "Not this guy. He's gotten away with murder and would have gotten away with…" One word from losing it, she chomped on her bottom lip.

"Hey, Sara…" Jim took her by the arm and hurried her out of the room. "I need your opinion on something in my office."

"Sorry," Min apologized to Gil when she realized why Sara was so edgy. "For a moment I forgot the card was sent to her and thought we were just talking about a case."

Gil nodded. "I'll be back. I'm going to check in with Hodges."

"I'll page you if there's news," Sofia assured him.

Racing down the hall Gil grabbed his cell, quickly punching in Warrick's number.

"Hey, Chief," Warrick answered in a weary tone. "Why are you calling me on your honeymoon? Need some tips?"

"I need you here," he responded in a no-nonsense tone. "Something's come up. Sara received a threatening birthday card in the mail."

"I'm out the door."

"Warrick…"

"Yeah?"

Grissom glanced over his shoulder. "For now…keep this from Nick. Greg too, because he has a big mouth."

"You think it's Rodgers, don't you?"

"Yes," he answered as he stepped into Trace. "But there's no reason to open old wounds until we know for sure."

**Stevenson Park  
****11:10 p.m. **

After parking her car on the side of the road, Carrie began walking into the park to check the basketball courts. In the summer, when the raging heat made it too hot to play until well after sundown, the city left the courts lit for pick-up games until eleven-thirty. She knew it was one of the places Nick liked to go when he was tense because he had mentioned it in one of their marathon phone conversations when she was still living in Seattle. He spoke of spending a lot of time there during the Rodgers trial, citing it was healthier than knocking beers back at bars.

Since he had grabbed his sneakers before walking out the door, she was hopeful he was at the park working out his anxiety in a healthy manner. When she was a hundred yards away from the courts she saw Nick making a jump shot and for the first time in hours her body relaxed. Now she knew why he hadn't called…he was absorbed in a game and when that happened he always lost track of time.

Checking her watch she realized the lights would go off in fifteen minutes. Knowing he needed to burn off as much tension as possible, she took a seat against a tree, to watch him play from afar.

**Crime Lab  
****11:12 p.m. **

Sitting on a stool Hodges briefed Grissom on what he had so far. "Since there was no DNA, it means saliva wasn't used to seal the envelope." He held up his mug. "It was moistened with coffee…my nose told me that."

"Specifics?"

"I'm working it."

Grissom nodded. "What else?"

"You'll love this…" Hodges shook his head. "About a year ago you and I had this bonding moment when I mentioned that I had a pet iguana. Do you remember, it?"

"No and why are we taking a trip down Insignificant Memory Lane when…"

"A ha!" Hodges grabbed a small plastic envelope filled with two tiny pellets. "That's just it…it's not insignificant. I said I had an iguana and you said…"

"I feed my racing cockroaches pet iguana food," Gil finished the thought as a new one invaded his brain. "You found those pellets of pet iguana food in the envelope."

"Along with traces of roach feces and one more thing used to set the mood." Hodges grabbed the report. "A chemical substance. Care to take a guess?"

"GHB?"

"Ding." Hodges handed over the file. "It was smeared over the pre-printed words 'because I'm always thinking of you'."

Just then Gil's pager went off. "It's Sofia. Don't go anywhere, Hodges. I'll be back in a few." With that he raced out the door.

When he reached Sofia and Min, Gil snapped, "That was fast. Did you find something already?"

"Yep." Sofia shook her head. "But you're not going to like it."

"I think that was a given." He stared at the screen. "Break it to me, Min."

Min sat back in her chair and removed her glasses. "Often, when a person is masking their own handwriting, they get it right with the exception of one or two trouble spots. They slip up. As you know, we have handwriting samples from all CSIs in the computer and I always start out running the sample against what we have."

Grissom's eyes flew to the now jumbo-image of the words Happy Birthday. "Unbelievable…"

"Those two Y's…they're an exact match to yours."

**Stevenson Park  
****11:29 p.m. **

For the last twenty minutes, Carrie had watched the ten men playing basketball on Court 1 as if their life depended on it and no guy was more fired up than hers. And even though her future husband was a jock, she knew Nick's competitive nature had little to do with his drive tonight.

"Damn!" Victor yelled as the lights went out, his team losing by two. "Let's hear it, Stokes."

"I don't need to rub it in." Nick laughed, "You'll beat yourself up far worse than I could."

"Don't stay away so long next time," Marty Nunez slapped Nick on the back. "You always bring it."

"Where are we drinking!" Victor yelled. "Stokes should buy."

"Next time for sure," he answered while picking up his discarded shirt. He augmented his reasoning with a lie. "I have to be at work in four hours so I need to pass."

Carrie was amazed and grateful that the three courts were emptying so fast. Staying in her secluded spot she watched curiously to see what her mentally overwhelmed man would do once the last guy left. As she thought he might, Nick rested against a large tree trunk and blew out a sharp breath. Alone at last, he could drop the front.

"Hey there, Slick," Carrie greeted as she emerged from the trees. "And here I thought football was your passion."

Stunned to see his fiancée walking towards him Nick walked to meet her. "What are you doing here? It's late. Are you crazy? You shouldn't be walking through the park at night in the dark."

"I drove." She pointed across the soccer fields. "I didn't realize there was a parking lot so close to the courts." Smiling, she came to rest standing in front of him. "You didn't call. I was worried."

"Sorry, I had no idea what time it was until the lights went out. I thought I had only been here an hour." Thirsty, he smacked his lips. "I was just on my way home."

"Really?"

"No, but I would have called from the pay phone down the street." Looking down at the grass he quietly asked, "How is she?"

"Better than I thought she would be considering…"

"Considering how I blasted her." His eyes remained fixed on the ground. "Damn, I was brutal."

"No, considering how much she loves you and prides herself on being an excellent mother." Reaching out she took his hand. "She understands where the anger was coming from, Nicky. She's not upset with you or hurt by what you said. And frankly…after twenty five years of it building inside you I think you were pretty calm." Smiling, she sweetly brushed her fingertips over his cheek. "You didn't even say any bad words."

"Really?" He found it hard to believe since he was known to toss a few when pissed off.

"Your mom isn't upset with you, Nicky. She's disappointed in herself and ready to exact some revenge on Michelle Anson Travers."

Snapping his head to look at her he gulped. "You got a last name."

"Your mom remembered her last name was Anson and that she went to Southern Methodist University. I went online and found information about her on their alumni pages. Her married named is Travers. She's living in Naperville, Illinois and…" Squeezing his hand she told him, "She's teaching third grade at a private boys school. I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but it doesn't mean…"

"Yes, it does." Shaking loose of her grip he snipped, "Hell, I'm all for optimism but come on, Carrie…she's a pedophile who likes little boys and she took a job that surrounds her with them. I don't think it was because the school offered good health insurance. Shit! This is my worst god damn nightmare come true!" Or so he thought…

The man's voice rang through the night air as he pointed the gun. "Don't move and give me your wallets!" At six foot three and two-hundred fifty pounds he loomed over the horrified couple standing five feet in front of him. "Hands up!"

While Carrie screamed from the terrifying surprise, Nick showed his hands and calmly told the armed man, "Nobody's moving, so stay cool." He hoped Carrie could comply but he didn't want to take his eyes off the gun long enough to check her post-scream mental state. It was all so surreal, seconds earlier he was lamenting about the past and now all he could think about was the future he might never have with Carrie. Shaking off the terror, he fought to stay in the moment.

"Wallets! Now!"

"Nicky…" Carrie stood frozen, the color draining from her face. Staring at the gun aimed directly at her chest she could only pray it wouldn't be fired. "…I don't have my purse. Please don't…" Her shaking intensified as horrific thoughts consumed her mind.

Nick could hear Carrie's breathing speed up but he overrode the instinct to fight and focused on assessing the danger at hand. "Check out what I'm wearing, man. I was here playing ball. I don't have my wallet on me and the lady doesn't have her purse with her. We can't give you what we don't have."

"Back away from your boyfriend." When she didn't comply he accentuated his point by putting a second hand on the pistol. "I said **back away**!"

"Do what he says, Carrie," Nick advised since the gunman had all the power. "Do it, Honey…right now."

"I…okay." Carrie reluctantly did as requested, having faith in Nick's ability to read the situation.

With every step Carrie took Nick's panic increased. "Look man…there's been no damage done here. Just walk away."

"I want those keys," he barked while pointing the gun at the quivering woman.

"My…"

"The ones in your hand!"

From self-defense training Carrie knew if she were alone getting carjacked she should toss them and run, but this scenario was different because Nick was in the equation and they were standing in a park with no safe place to go to. "Take them! It's the Jetta parked on the street at the other end of the soccer field. My purse is in there too." Fear knotting inside her, she extended her trembling left hand. "I'll toss them to you."

"And I want the ring." He laughed maniacally. "How much did that rock set you back, Loverboy?"

"You can have it." After switching the keys to her right hand, Carrie tugged off her engagement ring.

Instinctively Nick tensed as he struggled to predict what the guy would do next.

"Save the heroics for the basketball court." The gunman moved his aim to the jittery man. "You can buy her a new one."

"I'm not moving," Nick assured him as he stared at the pistol. "Nobody's moving…and we're cooperating." From the gunman's statement about being a hero, Nick decided the guy was most likely just interested in their assets and not taking their lives. "Carrie, **give him** the keys and the ring so he can go."

She took it to mean that she shouldn't attempt to create a distraction because Nick believed if the guy got what he wanted he wouldn't hurt them. "Here." She held out her open palm to display the keys and the ring. "I'm going to put them on the ground for you and back away.

Nick was thrilled she knew not to hand it him directly and give him a chance to grab her wrist.

"No!" He snarled, "I'm not bending down and giving your boyfriend a chance to jump me. Put them in my hand!"

Every nerve in his body on alert, Nick readied to pounce if the guy made a move. "Nice and slow, Carrie."

Fighting the urge to run, she stepped forward with her hand extended, her eyes fixed on the gun pointed directly at Nick. "Here. Now please just…"

Before his eyes, Nick saw the gunman slap his hand over Carrie's open palm and then yank her close. "No!"

"Nick!" she shrieked as the gun went off and the shooter tightened his grip on her. Panting in terror she helplessly watched her fiancé clutching his chest and then crying out in agony.

"I told you not to play hero!" the gunman screamed as he saw his target collapse and fall to the ground. "I would have given her back after I was done with her."

"Nick! Oh my God!" Carrie fought to break free, but the inches and pounds her captor had on her made it impossible. "No! Please!" In the darkness of the park it only took seconds for the gunman to carry her far enough to lose sight of Nick's slumped body. "I can't leave him! He could bleed to death," she pleaded irrationally to the man who obviously didn't value human life. In between sobs she cried out, "Nicky…I can't get to you…hang on…please hang on."

"Shut up or you'll be bleeding to death with him."

Carrie saw her car in the distance and prayed another would come driving down the desolate dead end street. "You don't need a hostage," she reasoned as her body spasmodically trembled. "There's no one else here. Just take the car and go." Desperately close to hyperventilating, Carrie gulped for air.

"I don't want a hostage," he rasped as she licked her cheek. "I want a playmate."

Determined not to be sexually assaulted again, she was finally able to push past her fear. Hoping to think of an escape solution, she flashed through scenarios. How would he get her inside the car? How would he restrain her? She knew there would have to be a moment of opportunity and she'd take it to save herself and Nick.

Upon slamming Carrie's chest and face against the side of the car, the gunman took the ring and the keys from her hand. "Don't move." Then, stepping back five feet he used the remote to unlock the vehicle. "Okay…open the back door then toss me that lacy bra you're wearing." He planned to use it to bind her hands.

"I'm going to be sick," Carrie announced in between a flurry of coughs as she held onto the open car door and leaned forward. "Oh god…" She moved her hands to her stomach. "I can't..."

"Don't puke in the car!" The gunman blasted as he saw her collapsing toward the backseat.

As she whirled around, Carrie launched the hefty law book she had grabbed from the back seat directly at the man's head. But before she could race forward to disarm her attacker, Nick was already there wrestling for control of the gun. "How…"

"Take cover, Carrie!" Nick yelled as he struggled.

Running around the car to grab her purse from the passenger side, Carrie covered her mouth as a reminder to hold in her screams.

Although it was only a matter of seconds, it seemed like an eternity before she saw Nick in control and the man's hands high in the air. Finally she could peel her eyes away long enough to retrieve her cell. As she was wrapping her hands around the phone, the sound of a gun shot jolted her. "Nick!" Turning, she saw him holding the discharged weapon about ten yards in the distance.

Still in shock, Nick frantically tracked the direction of Carrie's voice and finally saw her by the passenger door of the car. "Are you okay! Did he hurt you? I can't come to you. I need to keep the gun on him because I don't know if he has any other weapons."

"I'm just shaken up." Carrie's breath caught in her throat as she nodded and her tears finally spilled as she hurried towards him. "How bad are you hurt?" For the first time she saw his blood shirt and her heart skipped a beat.

"Stay there!" He cautioned, wanting to spare her from the ugliness. "It's just a flesh wound in my arm. I faked it being serious so I could sneak through the trees and surprise him at the car. He would have shot me dead if I attempted to get up back there." Nick clenched the gun with both hands while trying to get his head together. "There was no way in hell I was letting him drive off with you, Sweetheart. Are you sure you're okay? Please tell me he didn't touch you."

"He only restrained me, he didn't have a chance to..." Frantically shaking, Carrie leaned against her car and raised the phone. "I can't believe that just happened."

"What did you see?" he nervously asked. "Did you see me shoot him?" It was all a blur.

Lowering the phone she answered, "I saw him put up his hands, but then I…" She inhaled sharply and said what she assumed had happened. "…I saw him lunge at you."

Relieved, he gulped down his last duress-induced doubt. "That's what I thought happened but…I was so scared for you…it all happened so fast…I thought maybe I…" When he heard the assailant writhing in pain Nick refocused and directed, "Carrie, make the call."

Sniffling she replied, "Okay."

As soon as he saw her dialing, Nick soberly said to their attacker, "I'm sorry to say you'll bleed out and die from that kill-shot before an ambulance gets here. First Aid won't prevent it and I'm not rendering it anyway because I don't have any gloves. Seeing how you just tried to kill me and rape my fiancée, I feel morally justified in choosing not to risk my life to save yours." He crouched lower and whispered, "Are there any last words you'd like me to pass on to someone?"

"Fuck…you…," the man garbled as the blood pooled in his throat.

"Okay, then." Still operating in a state of shock, Nick reached into the guy's pants pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Assuming this is yours…let me see if I can find out your name before you die." He pulled out the license. "Glen Montana."

Carrie cautiously approached. "They're on their way." She immediately averted her eyes from the man's blood-soaked body.

When he saw the woman within earshot Glen gasped for air, "I…d…did…"

"Sweetheart…you don't want to see this." Nick calmly pointed toward her Jetta. "Please wait by the car."

Not faking the need to vomit this time, Carrie grabbed her stomach and raced away.

"…d…didn't…"

"Mr. Montana…" Nick returned his gaze to their attacker and solemnly said, "Even though you showed none to my fiancée and me…I hope God has mercy on your soul." With that he hurried off to help Carrie, who he heard getting sick on the side of the road.

As he lay alone in the grass watching the stars blur, Glen Montana, a convicted rapist with a rap sheet as long as his arm, whispered on his dying breath, "…lunge."

**Crime Lab  
****11:49 p.m. **

Brass sat with Sara at the small round table in the corner of his office. "Rodgers sent you that card because he wanted to bring you down…make you sweat…get you jumpy."

"He succeeded," she commented while continuing to mindlessly stir her decaf coffee.

"Only because you're letting him," he counseled. "You have a choice here. You can crawl back under the rock you've fought to crawl out from this year, or you can keep moving forward. He only claims a victory if you retreat."

She nodded to acknowledge she heard him, not that she was agreeing.

"He could pull this off from the joint every year for the rest of his life."

"Jim…I realize you're being a logical man but, right now I'm an emotional woman and I'm just not up for it" She glanced over with glassy eyes. "I'm scared he's going to make good on his threat, I'm embarrassed about how stupid I was this time last year, and most of all I'm pissed off that he could ruin what was one of the happiest days…" Her voice cracked. "…of my life."

"Let it out, Sara." Jim scooted his chair closer and slid the box of Kleenex toward her.

She grabbed three tissues at once. "Exactly how many times do I get to be his damn victim? I hate him," she breathed out into the tissues. "Dr. Myers would say it's healthy to acknowledge my anger."

"Is that as angry as you get?" Jim desperately tried to snap her out of the downward spiral. "I've gotten that ticked off at the guy behind the counter at Guido's for getting my sandwich wrong two days in a row. I bet Dr. Myers would only give that a five out of ten."

"Stop it, Jim." Sara shook her head. "You can't joke me out of this."

"Sorry…" He brought his hand to his heart. "I just think you should toss an expletive in there when you think ill of the asshole, that's all." He nudged her. "But I'm from Jersey and a big fan of The Sopranos so, when my temper flares over scumbags, I always feel compelled to…"

"I hate that god damn manipulative, maniacal bastard!" she screamed while throwing the box of tissues at the wall.

"I don't know about you, but I feel better now." Brass flashed a supportive smile.

"I do too," she admitted while crashing against his shoulder. "I really was having the best day…the best year."

When the door opened they both jumped.

"What is it, Judy?" Brass asked, a little put off that she barged in without knocking. "I'm not officially here."

Standing in the doorway she urgently said, "There was a robbery/attempted rape and murder incident at Stevenson Park involving Nick and his fiancée. We just got the call. They need the scene processed."

"What!" Sara flew out of the chair with Jim right behind her.

"They're okay!" She held her hands in front of her. "Stay calm…it's bad for the baby to get too worked up." She knew the tension was high already because news travels fast and she heard about the threatening greeting card. "Nick was shot, but not seriously, and the guy who attacked them is dead, I don't have any specifics on Carrie. They're already in route to the hospital."

This latest news finally tipped Sara over the edge. "Why is this happening? Were we too happy? Why!" Through blurry eyes she saw her husband and Warrick standing behind Judy.

Gil swallowed the lump in his throat and kept his theory to himself. "Jim...as the Master Criminalist I'm officially taking over this case. Warrick…you and Sara head to the hospital. I'm going to take Pete and Sofia to work the scene."

"You got it, Boss." Warrick responded, grateful for the assignment.

Sara gave Gil a quick hug. "Call me if you find anything…" She pulled back and sighed, "…if you find anything that proves it wasn't random."

He nodded before hurrying down the hall.

"I'll go with you to the hospital," Brass announced as he placed his hand on Sara's back. "Come on."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Thanks for the review Misty J, especially for letting me know how you felt about my portrayal of the characters! I really appreciate you taking the time.

Some story comments:

The NC 2nd date flashback/story was not in the previous stories in case anyone was wondering, it's new. The intent of course was not only to make Jillian happier but, to show the love between the couple right before they were in a life threatening situation. I hope it worked that way anyway.

For anyone happy to have Mike back…you'll get plenty of him and as you can see…he's up to the same ol' tricks.

I wanted to show the details of a Greg nightmare since he's been having them regularly and there will be some in depth analysis of it with Dr. Myers shortly.

Although Sean didn't have a paragraph in the prologue he is featured in this story quite often so for anyone who missed him and wondered, don't worry. As you can see for starters, he's going to be attending school with Lindsay.

**Next chapter will post on Tuesday, 8/23**

Thanks for reading and reviewing,

Maggs


	3. Chapter 3

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 3**

**August 29, 2005  
****Grissom's Tahoe  
****12:13 a.m. **

Stuck in traffic resulting from a car accident in the intersection, Grissom sat in his truck waiting impatiently for Catherine to answer her phone.

"I'm on the other line with Warrick," Catherine heatedly answered. "What the hell...first the greeting card and now this with Nick and Carrie? And he's telling me you think there could be a connection to Rodgers."

"I'm positive the card is his doing. As far as the attack…we have nothing to support that, but it's very early in the ballgame." Stepping out of his Tahoe Gil flagged down a cop. "Hang up with Warrick and I'll tell you your assignment."

"I'll have to make arrangements for someone to stay with Lindsay. Give me a sec…"

"Officer!" Gil flashed his ID. "I need to get through ASAP."

**Desert Springs Hospital  
****12:21 a.m. **

Under the bright lights of the ER, Nick saw the dead man's handprints on Carrie's throat for the first time. The shock wearing off, his gut twisted as he realized what might have been. Sitting on the edge of the ER bed he stared at her as she stood before him still trembling. "I'm really sorry." Reaching out he placed his shaky hands on her shoulders. "If I didn't run out…if I had called like I said I would…this is all my fault. You could have been…" The words were blocked by the lump forming in his throat.

"Don't go there," Carrie whispered while stroking his cheek. "You know I hate the 'what if' game. Life doesn't work that way. One event leads to another and leads to the next, you can't take one action back without changing everything good along with the bad. How far are you going to go back? Are you going to blame the person who gave Dana the chickenpox so she couldn't babysit you that night because really, isn't it **their fault** that Shelly was there to abuse you? And if she wasn't there, then you wouldn't have gotten upset tonight about what she did to you and left to play basketball and then I wouldn't have looked for you and none of this trauma would have happened. Do you see what I'm saying? The 'what if' game is a waste of time and you waste **way **too much time playing it."

In theory he knew she was right. "I just…" Clamping his lips tight he fought to hold it together.

"Just is a bad word too." She smiled warmly, knowing he was beating himself up over what happened. "If your parents had **just **controlled themselves andnot made love that seventh time, you wouldn't have been born and none of this would have happened." Her smile widened as she fronted, "Unless of course you still believe the stork theory?"

He pulled her against his chest. "You were so strong. I saw you throw that book at him…it was the perfect distraction. I don't know how successful I would have been if you hadn't stunned him first. I'm so proud of you, Sweetheart."

"I was fighting for us, Nicky." Knowing that he could have died, she savored the feel of his warm flesh against her cheek. "This morning when we were talking about Mike Rodgers and Nigel you promised me you'd fight to your last breath to stay here with me. I was doing the same for you." When she reconnected with his loving gaze her building tears spilled. "When I thought you were dying…I remembered telling you this morning how much I loved you…" A jagged inhale cut off her words.

Cupping her face Nick replied in a choppy whisper, "I remembered that too and the thought of losing…" The sight of her tears sliding over her bruises pushed him over the edge. "I was so scared."

"Me too."

They let their emotions ride, hoping to purge all the drama before their concerned friends showed up. Their embrace tightened as their fears and declarations flowed and then, minutes later, when their lips met in a tender kiss, their fright finally subsided.

"I feel better," Carrie stated while grabbing a box of tissues from the bedside table. "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah…" Drying his tears with the bed sheet, Nick forced some humor. "I'm getting really good at being a girl."

Carrie laughed into her wad of tissues.

"I'm not kidding…" Shaking his head he admitted, "I know I'm overly sensitive for a guy...I blame my five sisters for that by the way."

"Of course."

"But jeeeeeez, I've done more emoting this week than I did in my 20s, all ten years combined." Grinning, he grabbed the box she was holding out. "I blame you and your," he mimicked her voice, "_ooze some vulnerability for me, Nicky_. Be careful what you wish for, Darlin'…if I keep this up, we'll both be wearing gowns at the wedding." Seeing her smile he kept joking. "I'm **really **jonesin' for some chocolate. Do you think I'm getting my first period?"

Jim's voice resonated through the curtain. "Is that you giggling uncontrollably, Ms. Blake? Can you believe this, Sara? They're going for it in the ER while Stokes has a gunshot wound. Shocking! Will nothing stop these two rabbits?"

"That has to be Jim Brass," Carrie said while walking over to the curtain. "We heard laughter is the best medicine and were trying it out." When she pulled it back, she saw Sara and Warrick too. "Thanks for getting here so quickly."

Sara nervously said, "Judy didn't have any details about you." The bruising on Carrie's neck looked eerily similar to ones she had seen on her mother and for a moment she was lost in a bad memory. "Uh…since you were laughing just now I assume…"

"Just some contusions…I'm fine." She hugged her tense friend while Warrick and Jim proceeded to the bed.

"So…" Warrick moved his gaze from Nick's red eyes and stared at the bandages wrapped around his upper arm. "…third time wasn't so charming, huh, Slick?" He knew Nick had a gun pulled on him twice before.

"Luckily he was bad shot," Nick answered. "At five feet it should have been a lot worse. I think he was high on something."

"I'll let you know as soon as we get a Tox report." Jim peeked underneath the temporary bandaging. "How bad is the pain?"

"Are you kidding?" He puffed up. "Hell…after playing football for years, pain doesn't faze me."

"They gave him a local to numb it," Carrie announced while returning to Nick's side. "Isn't that right, Tough Guy?"

"Speaking of being a tough guy…" Brass turned serious. "Did you keep cool out there, Nicky? Or is this gunshot the result of…"

"He couldn't have been calmer," Carrie answered in defense of her man. "He stayed calm, I stayed calm, and in the end…we both thought our way out of the situation."

"I seriously thought the guy just wanted her keys and ring," Nick explained. "I didn't make a move until he grabbed her." He saw Carrie stare at her barren left ring finger. "Don't worry, I'm sure the top-notch CSIs working the scene will find it."

"But will they hock it?" Warrick teased.

The doctor breezed in. "You attract quite a crowd, Mr. Stokes." Extending his hand the silver-haired man said, "I'm Doctor Garner."

Nick shook his hand. "Nice to meet ya."

After snapping on a pair of gloves the doctor removed the bandage.

"Oh." Sara gasped when she saw the bloodied and torn flesh of Nick's upper arm. "I didn't expect it to look that bad. You can see the bone."

As the doctor poked the gaping wound he explained, "As I'm sure you're aware, with gunshot wounds of this nature the most serious complication is infection. The odds are greater with bone damage. It appears the bone was clipped slightly, not enough for a fracture. We'll clean it out, stitch you up, give you a course of IV antibiotics here and then send you home with a prescription. You'll be good as new in no time."

Watching the blood ooze over the doctor's gloves, Sara felt her head swimming. "I…oh god…" Pushing Warrick aside she leaned over the trash can and hurled.

"Morning sickness?" Jim asked in surprise.

"Oh no…" Nick knew what would be coming from his weak-stomached future wife. "Sweetheart…"

With her hand clamped over her mouth Carrie raced out of the exam area.

"Girls." Nick shrugged. "They cry a lot too. And worry too much." Hearing Carrie gagging in the hall he asked in worrisome tone, "Can one of you go check on her for me?"

**Stevenson Park  
****12:35 a.m. **

"What took you so long?" Sofia asked when she saw Grissom finally stepping under the crime tape.

"There was a car accident blocking the road." Setting down his kit he surveyed the area. "Brief me."

"Yes, Master." She pointed south. "They were surprised by the now deceased Mr. Montana over there…ten yards from basketball court one. There's blood spatter on the grass from Nick's gunshot wound and drag marks from Carrie resisting."

Grissom nodded. "Go on."

"The rest of the activity played out here." She pointed to the Jetta. "At the car and then here obviously." She pointed to the DB. "Pete finished the photos and we're ready to bag and tag."

"Do we know how the assailant entered the park?"

"Not yet." Walking towards the deceased she said, "But he's wearing worn out shoes and was trying to steal a car so my guess is he walked in. Once we're done processing here we'll fan out and find how he entered."

Setting down his kit Grissom said, "Bag every piece of trash you find in this park and bring in all the garbage cans." He walked over to the body. "Nice shot."

"A kill shot for sure."

"He wasn't taking any chances."

Sofia sighed, "I would have done the same."

Kneeling down Grissom asked, "With Nick on a mandated mental health break while this happened will there be a probe?"

"Only if it's recommended based on the evidence. What…are you worried Nick went nuts because this guy looked at Carrie the wrong way?" She knelt beside him and brandished a pair of tweezers. With them she carefully extracted Carrie's engagement ring from the dirt next to the dead man's hip. "I'll make a prediction that says the evidence supports justifiable homicide. Does that alleviate your concerns?" She dropped the ring in a small plastic bag.

"One of them." Standing up he remarked, "Make sure the ring gets top priority processing at the lab and then release it to its owner. I'm sure the giver of the ring will feel much better once he sees it back on his fiancée's finger."

"Where are you going?" she asked as he grabbed his kit and hurried off.

"I'm meeting Catherine at Mr. Montana's domicile. I've asked her to leave no stone unturned there and I suspect she'll be happier if I'm helping her lift a few."

**Glen Montana's Trailer Home  
****12:39 a.m. **

Standing in the cluttered living room of the mobile home, Catherine couldn't fathom how long it would take to sift through all the junk. "Uh…" She glanced over at the battered girl holding an inconsolable infant. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

She thought she looked sixteen tops. "How long have you lived here with Mr. Montana?"

"It's my trailer…it used to belong to my parents. He lives here with me. He's been here since he got out of prison a year ago." Frustrated by her wailing two month old and the intruding police, Jessica Hanson barked, "Are you ever gonna tell me what that son of a bitch did? You know what…I don't care. Just tell him I hope his ass rots in jail twice as long this time."

Catherine planted her hands on her hips. "Oh, he'll be rotting…but not in jail. He's dead."

Clutching her baby the girl coolly replied, "Best news I heard all year."

"Yeah…" Catherine nodded as she stared at the collection of hardcore porn magazines and videos amassed in one corner of the room. "I can believe that." Scratching her head she sighed, "We're going to be here a while so get whatever you need for the baby and find another place to hang out."

As she walked into the bedroom Jessica shouted over the baby's cry, "The crystal meth on the kitchen table isn't mine."

"Good to know." Catherine snapped on a pair of gloves.

Jas appeared in the doorway of the trailer and immediately saw Catherine. "I guess I'm in the right place."

"Did the Master summon you here?"

"Yep." She placed her kit next to Catherine's and checked out the pigsty. "Whoa. My mom gets pissed if my dad leaves his shoes in the middle of the room." Her eyes landed on the framed Nazi flag on the wall. "They say you can tell a lot about a person by their choice of artwork."

Jessica returned with the sobbing baby in one arm and a diaper bag stuffed with a carton of cigarettes in the other. "I'll be at my neighbor's," she snapped while marching out the front door. "The guns under the dresser are't mine."

Catherine watched Jas's jaw drop. "I can hardly wait to see what he kept hidden under the bed if his porn, guns and meth are out in the open."

"Ooh…" Jas grabbed a pair of gloves. "Can I look with you?"

"Get your camera."

**Desert Springs Hospital  
****12:51 a.m. **

A nurse escorted Carrie and Sara to curtain seven. "You can use this one. Just let me know when you're done."

"Thank you," Sara replied as she checked her camera. "We'll only be a few minutes." When she turned, Sara saw Carrie already sitting on the bed. "Uh…okay, I'll need you to take off your shirt."

"Right." Carrie tugged the blue polo over her head and held it tight.

"How big was this guy?" she asked while eyeing the large bruise around Carrie's neck.

"Well over six feet." When Sara snapped the first photo Carrie jumped. "Sorry." She held up her hand. "I um…need a minute. This is a little freaky because it's…uh…familiar."

_"Caroline…" _

_As the caseworker approached the hospital bed Carrie clutched the teddy bear she had been given by the police officer earlier a little tighter. "Yes." _

_"This is Nurse Flores. She's here to do the examination and take some pictures like I told you about. I promise it won't hurt." _

_A hot tear slipped down her cheek. "That's what he said." _

"Here…" Sara handed over the paper cup of ice water she retrieved from the cooler in the hall outside the curtain.

"Thanks." She gulped the contents then nodded. "Okay…take the pictures."

"I'll be quick." She grabbed the ruler from her back pocket. "How about some small talk to take your mind off what we're doing?" She snapped the first one. "Tell me about your road trip. What shoes did you wear?"

Carrie's lips finally tipped into a smile. "Red cowboy boots…brown cowboy boots…hiking boots…my Keds …and those black sandals with the ribbon ties I bought when we were out shopping last month."

"I bet Nick liked those sandals…they're so flirty girly…only a lace man from Texas would like 'em on his gal." Sara positioned Carrie's head and took another shot.

"He did!" She laughed at the memory. "Speaking of lace. I bumped into Catherine before I left town and she told me she saw you buying a French Maid costume. "

"Oui." Seeing a bruise on Carrie's left arm Sara positioned it for a photo. "Monsieur Grissom l'a aimé beaucoup."

"Quel était votre nom français?"

"Mimi." Sara cracked up as she recalled the scene. "Did you play Indian Princess with Nick?"

"Catherine told you about that!" She instantly realized the answer would be of course.

"Of course." After Sara snapped the last photo she handed Carrie her shirt. "She was even brainstorming role play scenarios with Tawny for you and Nick. You'll be happy to know I abstained from planning out your sex life."

"I'm sure those two came up with more than Nicky and I could ever imagine. I did put the Indian Princess costume on as a joke though, and we took silly pictures of me tied to tree to show Catherine we could role play with the best of them." While putting on her shirt she admitted, "Sister rule in effect…Nick and I stink at big production role play." Straightening her shirt she beamed. "But who cares…when we're so good at being us."

"Come on." Sara pulled back the curtain. "I'm sure he's missing you."

Behind curtain two, now that Nick was stitched up and lying in bed getting his IV antibiotics, Brass began probing. "Was there anything the guy did or said that would lead you to believe this wasn't a random act of violence?"

Nick bristled. "Why would you…"

Warrick interjected, "With Carrie having those death threats made against her in Seattle it got us wondering."

"Oh." He nodded. "Yeah…that makes sense. Sorry, I'm still a little dazed I guess." He pondered the question for a minute. "No, I can't think of anything. The bastard was only focused on taking what we had…" He winced. "…including Carrie's body. He never used our names or made reference to anything about us. No…I'm sure he was just your run of the mill vicious scumbag."

**Glen Montana's Trailer Home  
****1:05 a.m. **

"What a scumbag," Catherine groaned as she sifted through a shoebox which included horrific photos of women in violent and vile situations. "Nicky should earn a merit badge for taking this guy out." She returned the lid to the box. "I'm rather certain they'll test positive for fluids."

Jas shivered as she bagged the box. "Child Protective Services is coming, right?"

"Oh yeah." Standing up she called out, "Grissom!"

"Yes?" He entered the bedroom.

"For a registered sex offender on parole this guy wasn't very smart about what he kept around the house."

"Or he wasn't very worried that anyone would be checking."

Catherine cocked her head. "What? You think his parole officer is in on the conspiracy theory building in your head?"

"I don't have a theory, Catherine," Grissom snapped. "I'm just being thorough." He pointed at Jas. "Find out who his parole officer is and see how well he's been doing his job." With that he slipped back into the living room.

"Yes, Sir." Standing up she nodded. "Right away."

Catherine whirled around. "That's going a little overboard, Jazzy. Is Nick making you do that authoritative kiss-ass bullshit.?"

"No…" She smiled. "It's a programmed cultural response out of respect. My grandfather in Bombay is only five years older than Dr. Grissom."

"Ugh…that means I'm old enough to be your mother."

"Technically."

"You heard Dr. Grissom!" Catherine snipped. "Make that phone call!"

"Yes, **Ma'am**." Jas couldn't hold in the laughter.

"Have you smelled the odor wafting out of there?" She pointed to the bathroom. "I predict some really shitty stuff coming your way, Whippersnapper."

**The Townhouse  
****2:17 a.m. **

After waking up to use the bathroom, Tawny realized she was starving. A moment later she remembered Wendy had packed her a shopping bag full of leftovers and so, she made a beeline for the fridge. "Hmm." She began debating whether it was salt or sugar she was craving.

A few minutes later she settled down in front of the computer with a giant slice of wedding cake and a glass of milk, ready to tackle some schoolwork. Although she was far ahead of the scheduled assignments in Algebra, she had been avoiding English 101.

When the screen saver, a twisting and bouncing double helix, was replaced by the AOL screen, Tawny noted that Greg had been the last to use the computer. Just as she was about to log him out she noticed the mailbox flag was up and wondered if he had made any more secret interview appointments.

But she knew it was terribly wrong to click the READ icon and invade his privacy.

Five minutes later when she finally gave in and clicked the READ icon she breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing duplicitous sounding about any of the e-mail addresses or subject lines. Feeling horribly guilty she closed the mailbox.

Then she saw the Buddy List icon and curiosity tweaked her again, as she wondered how many buddies Greg had on his list. A quick click to the _Setup _button provided the answer.

**Buddy List**

**Buddies:**

RobSchwaPA

LegallyBeccaT

**Family: **

Mom2GHS

**Co-Workers:**

VegasStokes

SSvegasCSI

They were all obvious: the first two names were from high school: his best buddy, Robbie Schwartz and the infamous Becca Turnbull. The third was his mother and the last two were Nick and Sara. It was another bit of insight into Greg's personal life and once again Tawny felt good that he was no longer the lonely guy he used to be.

Just as she was about to log out of Greg's account, the sound of a door creaking open startled her. She instinctively turned toward the hall but soon realized it was a cyber door opening, not a real one. The Instant Messenger chime rang out and before her eyes she saw the name** LegallyBeccaT** on the screen.

_Hoj! OMG! You haven't caught you online since July.  
This is **the best** surprise!  
Your mom told me you're coming out for Labor Day.  
I really need your shoulder, Hojie!  
Only you can take away the pain.  
My divorce is final. Peter was such an ass.  
You always said he wasn't right for me.  
I should have listened to you, Hoj.  
In hindsight I would do so many things differently.  
If I could do everything all over again…  
I can't believe I'm going to say/write this!  
I would have told you how I really feel about you.  
I love you, Hoj._

"Holy shit!" With her hands cupped over her mouth Tawny stared wide-eyed at the IM box on the screen.

_I can't believe I hit send! Shit! Shit! Shit!  
I should mention I drank a dozen Cosmos tonight.  
Well not a dozen but more than I should have.  
I just got home and I'm tanked.  
I mean **seriously** plastered. That's why I said..._

"She's retracting!" Tawny's felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Thank god."

_Wait…that's such a cop out.  
I mean I really drank the Cosmos but, I'm only  
telling you in case I'm making a fool of myself.  
You know…in case you don't like me anymore_  
_Or, if you're not into women at the moment.  
Honestly, I don't care about the sex.  
I want your love.  
I need your arms around me.  
I need to hear the things you always used to say…  
Becs, he didn't deserve you.  
You're so special.  
You'll always be my number one girl._

"No!" Tawny grimaced at the screen. "You're too late, that's my job now."

_Wow! Talk about vodka induced honesty.  
I need you Hoj. I can't stop thinking about you…us.  
I want to play Boggle. I want to talk all night.  
I want to get lost in your soulful brown eyes.  
I want to snuggle on the couch and watch TV.  
God, I haven't been snuggled in years.  
I asked your mom last week what you were up to.  
She told me you were doing great at work.  
When I asked her if you were seeing anyone she giggled.  
I wanted to find out more but I got called away.  
So, what are you thinking after all my drunken babbling?  
Can we make it work, you and me?  
I know we have the friendship part down.  
I think we'll know about the rest after one kiss.  
Now please say something before I explode._

"Oh my God!" she screamed into her hands. "What do I do!" In a panic to stall she typed, **_I'm speechless_**.

_**You**! Gregory Hojem Sanders! Speechless! OMG!  
Now I know **for sure** you feel the same way I do!_

"What! No!" Her fingers raced through her hair as her breath quickened. "That's not what I meant!"

_I'm logging off so this perfect moment isn't ruined.  
I can't wait to see you at the club this week!  
It's our time, Hoj. **I know it.** Here's to the future…  
Becca_

The sound of the cyber door slamming sent Tawny into a full blown panic. Greg's original dream girl was finally madly in love with him. Tawny had seen enough movies about the power of first love to know it was a formidable enemy. "Why now!"

"Why what now?" Greg asked as he padded across the room rubbing his eyes.

Needing more time to think things through, Tawny flipped from AOL to Word. "An extra homework assignment. It's bad timing with the trip to California. Uh…maybe we shouldn't go."

"What!" He slapped the side of his head. "I can't possibly be awake, because all day you were bursting at the seams to go to California. You even made me call my mom and tell her Wednesday instead of Thursday."

"Kidding!" She gave a nervous laugh. "I'm just getting cold feet about the whole country club thing. Maybe we could just skip that part."

"My parents would be really bummed," he explained. "Labor Day weekend is the club's big deal." Kneeling in front of her he flashed a supportive smile. "Sweetie, you have nothing to worry about there. Yeah, there are some snoots, but most of the people are cool. I'm really looking forward to us hanging out with Robbie and his wife. Which reminds me…I need to send him an e-mail."

"No." She blocked him from the keyboard. "I'm really embarrassed about my paper and I don't want you to see it."

"Why didn't you ask for help?"

"Greg…" Tears started to pool in her eyes. "I really just need a little more time to think through what I want to say before you…."

"Damn…I'm really sorry." Feeling like an idiot, he enveloped her in his arms. "I know it's a real sensitive area for you and I shouldn't have pushed." He knew she felt intimidated by his academic credentials.

Hearing him apologize made her feel twice as bad.

"I really don't deserve you, Tawny," he humbly admitted. "You're such a special person."

She tensed upon hearing the words Becca had written in the IM…the words she said he always said to her. It prompted her to get confirmation on the third one he used to say. "Am I your number one girl, Greg?"

"No."

Clamping her eyes shut, tears shot out the corners.

"You're the **only **girl for me. Saying you're number one implies there are others."

"Oh." She forced a chuckle and quickly wiped the tears. "Old habits…insecurity being my worst." Placing her palm on his cheek she said, "Would you boil some water for green tea?"

"I'm on it!" he energetically replied after pecking her lips.

Once he was in the kitchen she flipped back to AOL copied the chat and pasted it into a Word document. Before they went to the Country Club for the first time, she'd explain what had happened and show him Becca's amorous declaration. Then she would wait and see if the magical pull of first love would be stronger than a love which began out of obligation and responsibility.

**Crime Lab  
****3:10 a.m. **

At the security desk, Jim signed in Nick and Carrie. "I feel so popular, you're my second and third guests tonight."

Clipping the visitor badge on his shorts Nick remarked, "I need to pop into the locker room, grab a shirt and get a fresh one for Carrie." He was shirtless, and hers not only had his blood on it, but the memory of her assaulter touching it.

"Hey, Stokes!" Vartann greeted as he saw his co-worker approach. "You're not supposed to be back for another week. Did you find your marbles sooner than expected? Since you forgot to put on a shirt, my guess is no."

Jim quipped, "Don't give him shit in front of his fiancée. She'll kick your ass."

"Are you kidding? I'm already afraid of Blake," Vartann chuckled. "She's an animal in the courtroom." He nodded at her. "How are you, Carrie?"

"Oh…I've had better nights."

Now that they were standing in front of him Vartann noticed Carrie's bruises and Nick's bandage. "What the hell happened?"

"Carrie and I usually deal with the criminal element **after **they've committed their crimes, but tonight in the park, we were unfortunate enough to be on the front lines. Robbery…" Nick pulled his fiancée close as they walked down the hall. "Attempted rape and attempted murder. I shot him dead. We're fine."

"No shit." Vartann glanced over at Brass. "I just got here. Well at least he's dead and it's over." He winked at Carrie, "Looks like your fiancé saved your office some work and the taxpayers a little money."

Carrie gulped, recalling the assailant's hands in the air and then the sound of the gunshot seconds later. "The justice system is always the preferred means of punishment."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Vartann waved as he started walking. "Let me know if you need anything expedited on my side." A few seconds later he paused, "Hey, Carrie!" Walking quickly he rejoined them. "Are you sure this was a random act of violence?"

Upon hearing the question for the second time that night Nick anxiously probed, "What made you ask that?"

"State vs. Rendido."

"Which is?" Nick felt three steps behind.

"You didn't tell him?" Vartann shot Carrie a look.

"I uh…must have forgotten."

Jim leaned against the wall waiting for the story.

"Carrie got a conviction on this bastard, Rendido, a real sweetheart who beat a little old lady to death for her social security money. Anyway, his sentencing was last week." Vartann stood in front of Nick and filled in the blanks. "When Rendido's brother saw her outside the courthouse he went ballistic. Started shouting shit, even called her that 'c word' guys never say in front of a lady. We hauled him in but he didn't have any priors and since he was on the street, not in the courtroom, he only got Disturbing the Peace. I don't know…it just popped in my head as a possibility because Rendido rolled with a crew."

Carrie felt the weight of Nick's glare. "You don't tell me about every whackjob who says something nasty to you while you're at work. Let's not go all double-standard, Nicky."

Nick handled it by looking at Vartann and saying, "Thanks for telling me what my future wife, the woman who always stresses we need to be completely open and honest with each other, should have told me. Is there any other pertinent information I should know, **Vartann**?"

"Yeah…" Shaking his head he sighed. "This is exactly why I'm getting divorced…head games and power plays. Women want you to be there for them when they **need you,** but if you get too into it they say you're controlling and play the equal rights card." He snipped at Carrie, "I bet you were glad Nick went Alpha tonight when he saved you from getting assaulted. You can't have it both ways, Baby…do you want your man protecting you or not?" Walking away he sighed, "Women…they're so friggin' confusing."

Jim laughed into the hand he had over his mouth.

"For the record, Vartann…" Nick cracked a smile. "She was saving me. I just got to pull the trigger at the end and look like the hero."

From down the hall Vartann belly laughed. "For the record, Stokes…you're gonna make a great wife."

Jim tossed his arm around Carrie's shoulders and started walking her down the hall. "Nick, grab what you need from the locker room while I escort your fiancée to your office."

"Uh oh," Carrie remarked. "I feel a lecture coming on."

"I prefer to think of it as a Mars to Venus chat, _Missy_." In her ear he counseled, "It was totally uncool for your man to find about that from Vartann. No guy wants another guy to know more about his woman than him, especially something important like a threat."

"He didn't **threaten** me," she exasperatedly replied. "He cursed me out because he was pissed. It's only a big deal because I'm a woman. If I was a guy who got cursed out and I yelled back, 'F off, asshole' that would be the end of it. It's part of my job. I don't dwell on it." Glancing over her shoulder she confessed, "Because of my abuse baggage, Nick would dwell on it…that's why I don't tell him when it happens."

"I admire your strength, I really do. I hope when Ellie gets back from rehab you can mentor her but do your man a favor, Venus…" When they reached Nick's office Brass unlocked it with his master key. "If something happens in front of cops, don't keep it from him."

"Thanks for the advice, Mars," Smiling, she walked in and took a seat at the desk. "I'm going to check my voicemail."

After winking he announced, "I'm going to check my lab and make the underlings shake in their shoes."

**Trace  
****3:21 a.m. **

"Kona Diamond coffee…," Hodges reported to Grissom and Sofia while holding up a report file. "Black. That's what was used to seal the envelope. It's your favorite, isn't it?"

Snatching the report Grissom couldn't believe the lengths Rodgers went to and wondered if Sara had mentioned Kona Diamond at some point during the thankfully** short** time she knew Rodgers. It was clear to Gil that Mike was up to his usual mind games. In Tahoe last year he tried to convince him that Sara, desperate for attention, gave herself GHB. Now, he was attempting to make it appear that Gil sent the card to frame him. No doubt it was a very tiny part of a grander plan. "Hodges could you…"

"Stokes!" When she saw Nick hustling by, Sofia abruptly rushed for the door. There, standing in the open doorway she waited for him to double back. "Here…" She handed him a small piece of paper. "That's the file number for Carrie's ring. I designated that you would be picking it up from Property."

"Excellent, thanks." He reached for the paper.

"Is she okay?" Sofia shivered at the thought of a woman with Carrie's background being the victim of attempted rape.

"Just shaken up." He shivered, still reeling from the terrifying almost-tragedy. "Thanks for asking."

Grissom joined them at the door and spoke somberly. "Sara called and gave me an update. How's the arm?"

"I'll be fine." Glancing over at the newly married Hodges he said, "I hear congratulations are in order, Goose."

"Yes! Congratulations, Nick," Hodges replied. "It's not everyday a supervisor gets the best Trace guy on his shift."

"Or the best CSI," Sofia added while flipping her hair off her shoulder. "Will one of you make sure that Catherine knows I said that?"

**Glen Montana's Trailer Home  
****3:39 a.m. **

Warrick and Sara had been helping Catherine and Jas for an hour when a Child Protective Services representative stepped inside the trailer home.

"Stef Albright, CPS." She flashed her ID. "Whatcha got?"

On edge, Sara snapped, "Guns, drugs and child porn but what concerns me most are these…" She grabbed an evidence envelope. "Naked baby pictures of his infant…he was scanning them into the computer to share with friends. How the hell could this baby be living here with a registered sex offender who was violating his parole six different ways! You should have been here…"

"Hey!" Stef barked back. "For the same reason there are still crimes happening twenty-four hours a day in this city even though there are cops. The bad guys outnumber us and there are only so many hours in the god damn day!"

"Warrick!" Catherine didn't need to say anymore.

Taking Sara's arm he said, "It's a nice night for a walk."

"Catherine Willows, Lead CSI." She smiled at the overworked and underpaid social worker. "We all have our triggers. This is hers. I apologize for the outburst. I know you guys are just as overwhelmed as we are."

Outside the trailer, Warrick let Sara pace out her tension. "I think I should take you back to the lab."

Pointing at the trailer she yelled, "How can that not make you sick!"

"It does, Sara," he calmly assured her. "It all does, but I don't let my emotions show at the scene."

"You're my CSI hero, Warrick." Shaking she said, "I can't wait to tell Nick thank you on that baby's behalf. He's a hero too."

Just then Jessica Hanson, the baby's mother, came barreling toward the police tape. "Where is that red-headed bitch! They took my baby! Where is she! I'll friggin' rip her head off!"

"Hey!" Warrick grabbed the girl as she dashed under the tape. "You can't cross the tape. Where the hell are the officers on the scene!" As he pinned the girl in his arms Warrick yelled, "**I said**…**I want backup over here now**!"

The two officers finally emerged from their car.

Warrick handed over the kicking and screaming girl to one of the officers. "She crossed the tape and threatened to harm the investigators processing the scene." Then he blasted, "You don't sit in the car, you stand at the tape and you guard the door. We count on you to cover our asses. If I wasn't out here she could have been inside jumping CSI Willows. I have enough work to do; I don't need to be doing your job too!"

"Sorry," Officer Hitchcock replied, knowing he was in deep shit.

Warrick poked his finger right at the man's badge number. "You can bet I'm reporting this."

As they headed back inside the trailer Sara smiled, "Great job hiding your emotion there, Warrick."

"I knew that was coming." He lowered his head laughing.

"Don't worry, you're still my hero." She gave a light laugh. "Because I really liked how, even in the heat of the moment, you referenced Cath as CSI Willows rather than _the woman I love_…made it all seem very professional and unbiased."

"Shut up," he said while laughing at himself.

**Crime Lab  
****3:51 a.m. **

"Don't move," Nick instructed as he entered the room and approached Carrie, who was alone in his office sitting in his desk chair. "I have something for you." Standing in front of her he opened his palm, showing her the ring.

"It looks better than when I lost it."

"Sofia polished it when she was done processing."

As she watched the princess-cut diamond sparkle, a chill ran through her and she unwillingly recalled how close they both were to never seeing their wedding day. "Please put it on," she urged, anxious to feel the symbolic bond once more.

Glad to oblige, he dropped to one knee and took her hand. "This is the third time I'm doing this."

"They say the third time's a charm." Bursting into a smile she said, "But for the record, I thought the other times were pretty charming too."

Gently he slipped the diamond on her ring finger and brought her hand to his lips, first grazing a kiss then heartfelt words. "Every time I place that ring on your finger, something has happened to make me love you twice as much as the time before."

Reaching out she caressed his cheek. "I feel the same way."

In the hallway outside the glass walled office Grissom, Brass and Sofia stood watching the loving moment.

Checking his watch Brass suggested, "Let's give the lovebirds another five minutes before we drop the bomb about the greeting card and send Nick over the edge."

"I had no idea you were such a romantic, Jim." Sofia teased as they walked away, "Does your dominatrix girlfriend appreciate that?"

"Only on her submissive days."

"I also want to review their police statements with them," Sofia stated, returning to business as usual.

Grissom, already on edge, stood alone outside Nick's office recalling the words Mike Rodgers had privately spoken to him during his visit to Ely State Prison after the trial. _Gil, don't look so smug. You won a round, not the battle. _

After breaking off the kiss Nick sheepishly whispered, "What am I thinking? My office doesn't have walls, it has windows. We need to save the celebrating for home, Sweetheart." Glancing toward the door he saw Grissom standing in front of the window wearing a dire expression. A moment later Nick's radiant smile faded and he said what his gut told him, "Somethin's wrong."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Lots of casefile details in this chapter as they try to determine if the attack on Nick and Carrie was random or Mike's doing and a new development in the Greg and Tawny story. I hope you found it intriguing.

In the next chapter (posting Thursday 8/25)…more casefile, Nick returns home with Carrie, Greg analyzes a portion of his dream with Dr. Myers, and Grissom tells Sara his next step.

Hopefully the series title is starting to make more sense as the Laws of Motion are happening. A few examples:

Things at rest stay at rest unless force is applied…Jillian's peace of mind until Nick told his story, Sara's comfort until Mike sent the card, Tawny's security until Becca IM'd.

External forces cause changes in velocity…Nick's mom saying the wrong things triggered Nick to tell her his secret sooner and differently than planned, Mike making a move will prompt Grissom to make some progress in another area, Becca's IM will accelerate Tawny and Greg's examination of their relationship.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction…Carrie worrying that Nick shot Glen Montana while his hands were up will influence a decision, Mike plays with Grissom then Grissom reacts and makes decisions and on it goes...

Things are just being set in motion…look for connections but the obvious ones won't always be the important ones. Don't assume the obvious thing will happen but when it doesn't, don't assume there won't be other ramifications down the line because…it's all about the motion.

Thanks for reading! And thanks Misty J for reviewing the last chapter.  
Maggs


	4. Chapter 4

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 4**

**August 29, 2005  
****Crime Lab  
****4:58 a.m. **

Standing next to Grissom, Nick and Carrie stared at the enhanced image of the greeting card. Finally Grissom said, "Honestly, I'm shocked he waited this long to do something."

"How does he know so much about you?" Carrie posited in reference to the coffee and roaches. "Does he have someone watching you? Or does he still have a friend on the force here?"

Nick set her straight. "Rodgers researches everyone when he's sizing up targets. In hindsight I realized he knew everything about me."

Grissom added, "Manipulation is much easier when you know your prey…especially their likes and vulnerabilities."

"Yeah." For the second time that night Carrie was reminded of her childhood trauma. "The pedophile who abused me had a lot of patience. He got to know everything about me and my family before ever making a move and when he did…I fell for it all." When she felt Nick's arm slip around her waist Carrie sighed, "I just remembered, your mom is an early riser, Nicky. She'll be worried if we're not home when she wakes up and she needs to know what happened to you."

Before Nick could answer, Vartann rushed into the lab. "Hey, I got something on your attacker, Glen Montana. You know that 419 at Conley Park?"

Grissom clarified, "The scene Nina and Trey are processing?"

"Yeah." Vartann leaned against the wall. "The DB was robbed and then shot at close range with a Glock. A homeless guy sleeping in the bushes saw the whole thing play out. His initial description of the perp sounded a lot like Glen Montana. We hauled him in, offering to give him a meal and some new duds. When we showed him photos…he picked out Montana. Trey's on the way in with the bullet for ballistics to see if they came from the same Glock." Vartann held up his cell. "I'm on my way out. I'll call you if I hear anything and vice versa."

Nick felt awful about being optimistic when a civilian was dead but, he couldn't hold back. "So what happened to us could have been a random act of violence? And maybe this greeting card is just a scare tactic around the anniversary and not the beginning of something more."

Grissom threw him a cautious look. "I want that to be true as much as you but…let's wait for the evidence before getting our hopes up."

"Sure, Gris. Sorry." Nick nodded. "When it's personal it's a little harder to remember that."

Grissom knew the feeling all too well. "Uh…since you're not allowed to work, Nick, you should go home and get some rest. I promise I'll call as information comes in."

"He's right." Carrie took his hand. "You really do need to go home. The doctor said to take it easy for a day." Her statement had little to do with him getting rest and everything to do with seeing his mother. "It's time."

**Warrick's**** Tahoe  
****5:12 a.m. **

"You have to be beat, Sara," Warrick stated while waiting in the Java Jungle drive-thru. "I know I am."

"Nope…just starving." Glancing out the window she remarked, "It has to be the baby making me hungry, because normally when I'm stressed I don't eat."

Now that the car in front had advanced, Warrick pulled up to the speaker. "I'll have a jumbo of your brew of the day…cream no sugar and a blueberry muffin. The lady will have…" He motioned for Sara to shout out her order.

"A jumbo decaf vanilla frappucino, a large orange juice, a carrot muffin, a fruit cup and a yogurt parfait. That's all."

"That's **all**?" Warrick laughed. "You're definitely buying, Mrs. Grissom, because your husband is loaded and I ain't responsible for feeding his kid."

**The Townhouse  
****5:21 a.m. **

When Greg emerged from the bedroom dressed in colorful boxers and a grey t-shirt, the first thing he saw was Tawny curled up on the couch reading her poetry textbook. "Couldn't go back to sleep?" He found her incredibly cute wearing one of his t-shirts as a nightshirt and with her hair in a floppy ponytail. "I stirred and realized you weren't there so I came out to check."

"Yeah…" Lowering the book she glanced in the direction of his voice. "I couldn't sleep, but the good news is I'm ahead of my assignments now."

Plopping down on the couch next to her he peeked at the poem she was reading. "Ahhh, Frost…The Road Not Taken…a classic."

"Yeah." Sighing she leaned against his chest. "I have to interpret each stanza and then cite a personal example from my life that mirrors the symbolic nature of the poem."

"That should be easy enough."

"Yeah…my life has been full of forks in the road." She rolled her eyes. "Until now I've always made the stupid choice."

"Well, you're in good company, having made a few stupid ones myself." He tossed his arm around her. "How about I read you the lines, while you write down the interpretations?" Snuggling her closer he confessed, "I always wanted to read poetry to a girl."

Loving his reason, she let him take the book from her hands and readied her pen and notebook.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler…long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth." Lowering the book he asked, "What's your interpretation?"

"He comes to a fork in the road and has to decide which one to take, so he looks down each trying to see which one looks better."

"That's the literal interpretation, now you have to interpret it symbolically." He cringed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so professorial and freak you out again."

Remembering how she snapped at him hours ago Tawny apologized, "Sorry I was so crabby earlier when you offered to help." She wished she had the guts to show him the note from Becca. "Symbolic interpretation, huh?" She pondered the question for a moment and said, "He has two choices in life and is trying to figure out which one would be the best."

"Right."

Suddenly she had an idea, a way to feel him out about the Becca situation. Patting her belly she inquired, "Greg…remember the day I came over and offered to terminate the pregnancy for you. That is a great example of two roads, don't you think?"

"Definitely, but do you really want to put something so personal in a college paper?"

Turning to face him she studied his eyes. "When you were considering the two choices, were you looking down the roads trying to predict the future, like the guy in the poem?"

"Yeah, of course. But now that we're so happy and excited about the babies I feel really guilty that I even considered…"

Cutting him off she asked, "What if you had looked down the roads and saw that in the near future, Becca was going to contact you and say she was in love with you…that she had been for years, and she wanted to get together and live happily ever after with you? Would you have chosen the same road? Or do you think you would have opted to terminate the pregnancy and end our relationship?"

"You're missing the point of the poem," he replied, hoping she'd drop the question. "When he looks down the roads, he can't see very far ahead and has to make a decision based on what's in front of him without knowing where either path will really lead."

Annoyed that he avoided the question she countered, "Seriously…your answer will help clarify something for me…about my assignment. You said you wanted to help."

Closing the book he sighed, "Your question doesn't have anything to do with your assignment, but everything to do with our trip to California and you finding out Becca will be there."

"Why won't you answer it?"

"Because it's a ridiculous and complicated question on multiple levels," he protested.

"It's not complicated, Greg," she pushed. "If ten minutes before I had shown up that day making my offer, Becca called confessing her love for you and the only obstacle in the way of life with your original dream girl was pregnant me, would you have picked the easier path and taken me up on my offer, that's all I'm asking?"

"Fine. Since you're obviously not going to drop it…" Frustrated he sank lower into the couch. "On **that **day, when I **barely knew you**…when I was **scared to death **about being a dad and unsure if we could be happy together because I was **positive** you'd end up being bored to tears with me…" Squirming, he rubbed his temples. "Is this really necessary?"

"Not anymore." Sadly she whispered, "Because now your answer is obvious."

"It's also **honest**, which I think is important too." He was quick to point out, "And I still don't know that I would have picked the opposite path, I'm just saying the Becca phone call would have been a strong factor. But not because she's better than you, but because we have a history and therefore she would have been a **seemingly** safer choice."

She wanted to say, _safer compared to a stripper with no education that your dad would think isn't the best addition to the family_…but she held her tongue.

Picking up the book he said, "But again…you're missing the point of the poem." Opening to the dog-eared page, he read the last lines, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I…I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference."

"But what kind of difference? A positive difference or a negative one." She pointed to the text. "It says he's saying it with **a sigh** but it doesn't say what kind of sigh…a sad one full of regret or a happy one as he looks back on the past?"

"The tenor of Robert Frost's sigh in an old poem has no bearing on **our** lives." Finally losing his patience he snipped, "No matter how I answer these hypothetical questions you're not going to be happy. And Tawny…**why** are you **still **asking these questions? Haven't I been **crystal clear** about my feelings for you and the babies? For cryin' out loud…you **know **I have a ring in California and a special plan to give it to you. We have a new place together. **Every day** I tell you how much I love you and how happy I am we're together. Just yesterday we sat at the kitchen counter reading the note I wrote to Gris and Sara and agreed that we're so grateful he introduced us and how happy we are about the babies and…ugh! You're driving me crazy!" Aggravated, he tossed the book on the coffee table and headed for the bathroom. "I'm starting to think I'm having a nightmare."

"Me too," she muttered under her breath.

"Here's a hypothetical **for you**," he announced a little too loudly from the doorway. "If on that day you found out you were pregnant, you also found out that other guy you slept with in July…the hunky player with the big job and tons of cash who wined and dined you and promised you the moon, wasn't married after all, **who **would you **really** have been wishing was the daddy?" When he saw her wince he lowered his voice and said, "See…these hypothetical questions aren't very fun, are they? You can't go back in time, change major elements of the situation and expect the same answer. Time changes everything, and in our case it made all the difference like the damn poem said! A** positive** difference."

"I'm sorry."

"For what specifically?" He raced his fingers through his hair. "Not believing that I'm happy with my choice and making me feel like you don't trust me? For knowing you would have picked the jock over the geek? Or for pissing me off first thing in the morning when all I wanted to do was snuggle and help you with your damn homework? What?"

Bringing her knees to her chest she quietly answered, "All of the above."

"Apology accepted." Exasperated he puffed out a breath and said, "I'm uh…gonna grab a shower."

"Okay." Once he was gone she smoothed her hand over her belly. "Now we know if Becca had IM'd a month earlier you wouldn't be alive and I'd be living my old life." Sniffling she thought…he says he's content with his choice but the question is….will he still be happy when he finds out Becca is waiting for him just down the road?

**Crime Lab  
****5:32 a.m. **

Sitting in her husband's office, Sara picked at the remnants of her breakfast.

Deciding there would be no right time to say it, Gil blurted, "I'm leaving for Ely at six."

Sara stopped in mid-chew and swallowed the piece of pineapple. "I knew you were going to…"

"I'll have a better idea what he's up to if I can see his eyes."

Crashing back against the leather of his guest chair Sara shook her head. "It took you **weeks **to shake off the tension when you went to see him after the trial."

"I'm in a different place now than I was then."

"So is he." Sara exhaled sharply. "That's what scares me. He's had nothing but time. Time and a brilliant, evil mind are a dangerous combo." She caught her husband's eyes. "He loves playing with your head. I know you hate to admit it but…there are a few people in this world who have been able to successfully mess with your mind. He's one of them."

"I'll tread cautiously." Reaching across his desk he extended his hand in an uncharacteristic show of affection in the workplace.

"I know you're worried if you're going to touch me in the lab."

They shared nervous smiles.

"Be careful," Sara warned as she slipped her hand into his open palm. "What if the whole reason he did this was to get you to come see him?"

"I've considered that possibility." Closing his fingers around her hers he nodded. "That's when I decided I had no choice but to confront him. He may escalate if I don't."

"He may escalate if you do."

In silence they continued the standoff.

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****6:15 a.m. **

After waiting twenty minutes for Carrie's car to be released from evidence, the mentally and physically exhausted couple drove home.

Now, standing outside the apartment door, Nick vacillated about going inside. "Maybe you should go in first and see how she's doing this morning?" He suggested. "What if sleeping on it made her…" When he saw Carrie stick her key in the lock he bristled. "Don't you think it would be better if we…" Watching her step inside he tensed. "Apparently you think I should just get in there and stop pussyfooting around." He leaned against the outside wall to pull it together.

After standing outside for a while running through things he could say to his mother, Nick heard her shout...

"What! Thank God you're okay!"

Instinctually Nick flew through the open door. Once inside, his gaze fell upon his mother's horrified expression. "Uh…I guess Carrie told you what happened in the park. Please don't worry…we're both fine."

One look at her boy, who was wounded mentally and physically from confrontations in the last twenty-four hours, Jillian rushed over and threw her arms around his neck. "You don't need to say anything, Nicky. Just let me hold you." Her eyes shut as her embrace tightened. "I just want to hold my baby boy."

Over his mother's shoulder Nick looked at Carrie and when she pointed to the bedroom and mouthed, _I'll be showering_, he gave a slight nod. He knew she had to get to work that morning for an important meeting with an abused child and his family and she had already done enough counseling his mother the previous night.

Jillian whispered through her sniffles, "I love you, Sweetheart. I'm so sorry I let you down that night and that I didn't figure it out afterwards. I never would have imagined…even now it's hard to fathom."

He gripped her tighter and spoke softly. "I'm sorry I was so nasty to you…I had a plan on how to break it to you but…I haven't been real good about keeping my emotions in check lately and…I love you, Mama." Feeling her hot tears against his cheek he pulled back to wipe them. "Please don't…" The sadness in her eyes killed him. "You've been the best mother and this one thing doesn't change any of that. Being scared about everything changing was one of the main reasons I never told. I didn't want my family looking at me differently. I want the same thing now…I don't want your pity or your guilt. I don't want anything to change between us."

"It's hard to…"

"The only reason I told you was so I could pursue an investigation of her…and so you could understand some of my past actions a little better." Stepping back he admitted, "This is all really uncomfortable for me. What I need you to do is not make it harder for me by getting overly emotional or treating me different." He gave her hands a squeeze. "I need you to snap into that _tough as nails_ courtroom mode."

"Okay." She promptly bit back her tears. "I'll do whatever you need me to do, Nicky."

"Here's one thing." After forcing a smile he warned, "Don't start walking on eggshells around me, because I still need you to kick my ass when I deserve it. What happened in my childhood didn't make it right to sneak off at Wendy's and make loud love to my fiancée in the closet. I deserved your lecture and I intend to follow your advice. Okay?" He drilled his point home with his eyes. "I really want us to just go back to the way things were as quickly as possible."

Clearing her throat she said, "In spite of how much it hurt to hear about what happened to you that night…I'm glad you told me. As a mother, I pride myself on understanding what makes my children tick. Now that you've filled in that blank, the mysteries about your behavior are gone and suddenly everything over the years makes sense…even why you felt compelled to get that matching Rising Phoenix tattoo with Carrie."

"Check it out." Chuckling, he removed his black t-shirt. "The tattoo was temporary…Carrie and I were trying it out for size to see if we wanted real ones. It came off in the hospital when they were cleaning me up. "

Her eyes were drawn to the bandage rather than his un-inked chest. Instinctively she reached out and placed her palm over his wounded arm. "Another few inches that bullet would have hit very close to your heart."

"I think the tattoo deflected it."

"I take it that means you'll be getting a real one?"

"Now more than ever," he proudly informed her. "Finding a reputable place and making appointments for us is on my 'to do' list today."

Attempting to keep her promise not to treat him differently she groaned, "I'm still not pleased."

"Good." Leaning over he kissed her tear-stained cheek. "Because that would take half the fun out of it when I show it off to the family at Thanksgiving. Since it's not a Presidential election year, we'll need a heated topic for the dinner table."

"I know I'm not supposed to treat you different but I'm going to have to ask for clemency when it comes to hugs." She opened her arms. "I'm gonna need a few more than usual for a little while."

"I'll make an exception for hugs." He tossed his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. "In exchange though, I'm going to ask you for something."

"Anything, Honey." She sighed peacefully in his loving embrace and willed herself to return to the normalcy he craved.

"Can you show me how to make French Toast? I want to make it for Carrie before she leaves for work this morning to make up for something stupid that came out at the party yesterday."

Pulling back she glanced up at her son. "I'm sure I'll love this story."

"No you won't." Taking her hand he led her to the kitchen. "I can't wait to tell you so it will feel like old times."

"Does your arm hurt much?" She stood in the middle of the kitchen watching him stare at the open and barren fridge.

"It's still a little numb from the stuff they gave me." He turned and smiled. "Uh…we don't have any eggs, milk, butter or bread."

"I'm afraid that's going to impact the quality of your French Toast, Honey." Shaking her head she teased, "This is what happens when two non-domestic workaholics move in together."

"I'll run to the market on the corner." He darted out of the room.

"Nicky!"

He dashed back into the kitchen.

"How are you fixed for syrup, powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon?"

"Uh…" He glanced at the cabinets wondering where those items would be or if he had ever seen them. "I'll get those too."

"Also pick up some orange juice and pecans." Seeing the dazed look in his eyes she offered, "How about I make you a list? If you're anything like your daddy, once I tell him to pick up four things he's overwhelmed."

"He's on the Supreme Court of Texas, Mama."

"That makes him good at remembering legal precedent." Jillian laughed as she grabbed a pen and paper from the counter. "But he's still a man and y'all are hardwired to forget stuff at the store…and to leave your skivvies on the floor."

In the doorway Nick breathed a sigh of relief that the banter and the jokes were still there. "I'm going to check on Carrie while you write that up."

"She's due at work and I'm starving," she announced in a curt tone. "You've got two minutes to get back out here…" Jillian rolled her eyes. "…even you shouldn't be able to accomplish much in that amount of time."

Appreciating her effort he cracked a huge grin. "Yes, ma'am…and thanks for the normalcy."

**Crime Lab  
****6:33 a.m. **

With Nina at his side, Warrick strolled into Ballistics. "Yo, Bobby…let's talk."

"You have perfect timing."

"That was fast." Nina exchanged pleased expressions with Warrick.

Bobby grabbed his report. "Hey, let the record show, when the Master Criminalist says ID those bullets ASAP…I'm there." He handed over the file. "Striation patterns never lie. The bullet that hit Nick and the bullet found in the vic at Conley Park were fired from the same unregistered Glock 17."

"Two random acts of violence committed by the same guy." Warrick skimmed the report. "That's good news."

Nina scolded, "Tell that to Mr. Nunez's widow." She glanced over at Bobby. "Nunez is the Conley Park vic. He was on his way home from work…had to walk because he and his wife couldn't afford a car. The wife is seven months pregnant with their first. She's over at County in pre-term labor brought on by the shock."

Feeling bad, Warrick apologized. "Sorry. I meant it was good news in that Montana was a random psycho and now that he is dead it's the end of the line and other folks will be spared." Grabbing his phone he headed out the door. "Thanks, Bobby."

In the hallway Warrick punched in Gris's code and waited.

"Grissom."

"I was hoping to catch you before your plane took off. I just left Ballistics…Vartann was right, the two park incidents were connected."

"Tell me everything you know."

Entering the breakroom he made a beeline for the coffee pot. "Here's how we've pieced it together so far…Montana and his girlfriend get into an argument because it's been two months since she had his kid and he thinks she should be back turning tricks." While filling his mug, Warrick continued, "After knocking her around he took the last of her welfare money to score some crank. Then he comes back, goes a round with the girlfriend and heads out…first to Conley where he robbed Mr. Nunez and then onto to Stevenson two hours later where he attacked Nick and Carrie. We don't know where he was for the two hours in between but we'll figure it out. Thoughts?"

"I'm still not ruling out Rodgers."

The statement stopped Warrick in mid-sip. "What?"

"Like you said, we don't know where Montana was for the two hours prior to surprising Nick and Carrie. What if he was stalking Carrie or Nick?"

"He didn't have a car so…"

"He made them **think** he didn't have a car."

"I'm just giving you the initial findings." Warrick leaned against the wall. "We still have work to do."

"And so do I."

**The Townhouse  
****6:46 a.m. **

After drying her hair and slipping into a denim skirt and a lemon yellow chemise, Tawny went to find Greg. They hadn't exchanged two words since their tense ones earlier that morning and she was anxious to end the silence.

When she didn't find him in the living room or kitchen she continued down the hall. Suddenly realizing he was most likely in the office, fear shot through her body as she took off. "Greg!" she called out in the doorway when she saw the AOL screen. "What are you…"

"Don't freak out…please."

Her hands raced to her head. "What were you looking at? Why did you close the screen when you saw me?"

Busted, he confessed, "I was surfing for information on pregnancy-induced anxiety because I'm worried about these 180's you're having…one minute you believe me and the next you don't." Standing up he reached for her hand. "You're scaring me and I'm worried."

"I'm scaring…pregnancy-induced anxiety?" She took a moment to be thrilled that he hadn't been IM'ing with Becca and then she let her irritation show. "Maybe I wouldn't be quite as anxious if you weren't taking me to California and making me lie to your dad's face…or meet a bunch of new people that out class me…or if I didn't have to worry about impressing your friends, including your original dream girl. Did you ever think of that?" Stuffing her hands on her hips she pointed out, "I'm anxious because I'm about to be thrust into an anxiety-causing situation." Of course, there was a little more to it but she couldn't tell him until after she spoke to Dr. Myers about how to handle it. "I'm not losing my mind, Greg. I'm just an overly hormonal woman dealing with a lot of heavy stuff."

"I didn't think you were losing your…wait…you know what I think…" He released her hand and a labored sigh. "Neither of us has been working and we've spent an extraordinary amount of time together this past week…the most time we've ever spent together. Add to that all the stress we're under and…we're getting cranky." Nodding he added, "I'm an only child and a guy who lived on his own until last month. I'm used to having a space. It's just a little cabin fever."

"I'm smothering you?"

"We're smothering each other."

This latest tidbit only fueled her insecurity. "Good thing we have a four-hour drive to California and seven days of vacation to look forward to...I'm sure all that quality time will help the smothering issue."

More conflicted than ever he quietly asked, "Are you saying I shouldn't ask for space when I need it?"

"No, I'm not saying…" Holding her head she stared at the floor. "I'm sorry…again. Uh…if you need space, you could go for a walk before your appointment with Dr. Myers at eight." Stepping forward she slipped her arms around his neck. "I promise I won't follow you and badger you with hypotheticals…and I promise when you see me after my appointment with Dr. Myers later today that I'll be able to clear some stuff up once and for all."

Gently placing his forehead against hers he whispered, "Everything will change in California. Think of this tension between us as the storm before the calm." He sweetly kissed her forehead. "Now, I'm going to take that walk before my appointment and I'll probably stay out for a while after my session."

"Take all the time you need." She didn't mind because she needed space too.

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****7:09 a.m. **

"Wow." Carrie removed her napkin from its place on her lap and smiled at Nick. "I don't know if it was the near-death experience last night or what but…that was without a doubt the best French Toast I've ever had." Unable to resist the tease she added, "Way better than the _mornin__' after the lovin'_ omelet…even the special version that you make me…the one with stuff chopped up in it and cheese not just on top for show."

Winking at his mother Nick said, "Looks like Grandma McGregor's Maple Pecan French Toast recipe did the trick."

Carrie giggled, and restrained herself from pointing out that his feminine side was shining through again.

"I had my doubts about this breakfast." Jillian laughed as she stood to clear the dishes. "Well only in your ability to cook it, Nicky, not in the recipe itself."

Under the table Carrie placed her hand on Nick's knee and smiled, proud of him for making it through another difficult part of confronting his past. "Thanks for the delicious breakfast, Honey." Leaning in she covered his mouth with a maple syrup flavored kiss. "I'm going to gather my things and get ready to head to the office."

"I'm driving you."

From the tone of his definitive statement Carrie knew there was no arguing. "Great, I'll pick a CD for the ride." She waved at Jillian. "Thanks for giving Nicky the cooking lesson. My favorite dinner is Chicken Cordon Bleu, maybe if you have a recipe you could leave it lying around and he'd go for it."

Carrie's smile stayed with her as she walked into the bedroom. Although she knew Jillian was still hurting, she was doing an excellent job of presenting the status-quo façade her son needed and Carrie felt the ordeal was going better than predicted. Of course, she also knew Nick was temporarily seeking refuge on this oasis of forced normalcy before taking the next big step.

He had asked his mom not to share the news with his father just yet because he needed a little more time. Although Jillian agreed, Carrie knew fulfilling the request was difficult for her. Not only did the woman find it uncomfortable to keep something so serious from her husband, she needed a soft place to fall and let out the emotion she was trapping inside for Nick's benefit.

As Carrie picked up her papers from her desk, she remembered they hadn't sifted through any of the mail they'd grabbed from the box after arriving home from their trip. Looking at the pile, she decided to sort it quickly and bring hers to work to read if she had a free minute. Although, without any sleep logged, she imagined any extra time would be spent powernapping at her desk.

Sifting through the letters, magazines and junk mail, a pink envelope caught her eye. It appeared to be a greeting card and the post mark was from Seattle, Washington. At the seal was a sticker of a bride and groom and the words, '_Congratulations! I just heard the news!_' were scrawled over the back of the envelope in lavender ink. She had sent her friend Darlene a copy of the engagement notice a couple of weeks ago. Carrie's smile widened at the thought of her engagement news spreading around her old office.

"Ready?" Nick asked from the doorway.

"Yep." Carrie snatched her pile from the hastily sorted mail, stuffed it into her briefcase and then slung it over her shoulder. "Ready!"

**Dr. Myers Office  
****8:01 a.m.**

When the doctor's door opened Greg jumped up from his position on the plush waiting room couch. "Thank god!"

In the doorway of her office Dr. Myers smiled. "Well now…we've come a long way since your first visit when you didn't want to talk to me." She headed for her desk. "I take it you have something weighing heavily on your mind?"

"I brought a new book with me and my own candy." He tossed his newly purchased copy of The Poetry of Robert Frost on her desk and then held up the two bars…an Almond Joy and a Mounds.

"Let me guess." The doctor relaxed in her chair and sang the familiar candy jingle. "Almond Joy's got nuts, Mounds don't, because…sometimes you feel like a nut…and sometimes you don't."

He waved the Almond Joy. "Tawny is driving me crazy!" Then he thrust the Mounds forward. "Tawny keeps me sane!" Plopping into a guest chair he groaned, "I think we're both schizophrenic and until now we were just lucky that our mutually agreeable personalities have always shown up on the same day."

"Take a deep breath for me, Greg." The doctor picked up the book. "Since the dawn of time, every guy in a new relationship has had that feeling."

"I had my worst nightmare yet." He bit into the Almond Joy and voraciously chewed.

Dr. Myers grabbed her whiteboard markers. "Want to work it out on the whiteboard? That seemed to work well for you last time."

After stuffing the last of the candy bar in his mouth he took the pack of pens. "Okay…get ready for the freak show that is my subconscious life."

**Ely State Prison  
****8:07 a.m. **

After signing the visitor log, Gil clipped on his visitor badge.

"It'll be about ten minutes, Dr. Grissom," the uniformed woman behind the desk informed him. "Take a seat in the waiting area and I'll call you when it's time to escort you back."

"Thank you." Gil did as asked and sat in the nearest uncomfortable metal chair. Normally when visiting a prisoner to elicit information he'd run through the list of predictable questions and scenarios, but he knew that would be an exercise in futility today. If there was only one thing he could be certain of when it came to Mike Rodgers, it was his unpredictability, because his mind was a complex and frightening place.

**Dr. Myers Office  
****8:14 a.m. **

Staring at the lists Greg had rapidly written on her white board she reached for her intercom button. "Marge?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Did you fill that nine o'clock opening?" Gil Grissom had left a message earlier that morning canceling his session.

"No luck yet."

"Don't. Greg needs a double." Releasing the button she sighed, "That's a lot of subtext for one nightmare."

Capping the markers he chuckled, "Apparently I'm gifted not only in math, science, music and impregnation, but nightmares too."

"Which part do you want to tackle first?"

"The Becca part," he answered without hesitation. "Because suddenly, ever since she found out Becca would be at the club, Tawny is really worried about meeting her."

"Do you think Tawny is worried about meeting Becca **or** do you think she's worried about **you** seeing Becca? And if so, is her concern valid?" While Greg pondered, Dr. Myers said, "A few things in this nightmare made me ask those questions. In the nightmare, after you hear Becca say she can't wait to see you, you hurry to shut the door so Tawny doesn't hear."

"Because even though it's an innocent conversation, she'll get jealous," he responded. "I wanted to spare her."

"Still…you're hiding something from her and secrets in a relationship aren't healthy…we've covered that when discussing your parents marriage."

"Fair enough." He settled into the comfy chair and listened.

"Next Becca reiterates how much she needs you like old times and you call her on it, reminding her that in the past, every time you healed her she turned to another guy."

"She was brutal!" Greg explained, "I can vividly remember several occasions where I was positive it was going to happen between us and she backed out at the last second. I mean her body pressed to mine and only a breath away from kissing, she'd pull away."

"In your nightmare she has an explanation for that…she believed you were gay and didn't want to embarrass herself by kissing you."

"And in the nightmare I tell her I'm not…that I even tested my theory." He laughed at the idea. "Maybe I should have Hodges sign an affidavit of my squicked-ness after kissing him so I can show it to her when I'm out there."

"Hmm…why do you care if she believes you about your sexuality if you don't want her to think of you sexually?"

"Huh?" He didn't want to understand where she was coming from, but did.

The doctor leaned into the conversation. "Maybe Tawny is sensing that you need to prove something to Becca when you're out there. You told me your mom took Tawny shopping so she'd look as beautiful as possible on your arm. You bought Tawny diamond earrings so she'd fit in at the club. Tell me, Greg…have you imagined the look on Becca's face when you show up with beautiful, bodacious Tawny at your side?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean…ugh…" He slouched a little lower in the chair and droned, "But if it's motivated by a desire to make Becca jealous, then it means that I still care what she thinks, which of course makes Tawny believe I still...ugh…yeah…I get the picture." He covered his face with his hands. "And then I go and honestly answer that hypothetical question this morning and now she really must think…" He slapped his forehead. "Sometimes, for a genius, I'm **really** stupid."

"No, you'rereally **human**." The doctor leaned back in her chair again. "What do you think will happen if Becca sees you with Tawny, realizes that you are interested in girls and suddenly sees you in a whole new light? What would you do if she cozied up to you in California…bringing up all those sweet memories you shared over the years and activating that longing you still have inside you?"

"It's** not** still inside me."

"So, you're telling me fifteen years of deeply rooted desire just evaporated two months ago when you met Tawny?"

After gulping he replied, "Yes."

"Then why is Becca haunting you in your sleep? Why is your new fantasy that she wants you so much she demands you leave Tawny? Why in the nightmare is she so sure she'll get her way?" The doctor kept needling, "And why did you shut that **bedroom** door so Tawny wouldn't find out what you were doing **in bed** secretly with Becca…even though it was just talking?"

"Look…it's not my fault Tawny planted the thought in my subconscious by stressing about Becca right before I fell asleep." Getting testy Greg snipped, "I don't care if Becca shows up, tears off her clothes and throws herself at me, I wouldn't cheat on Tawny if that's what you're insinuating. Yes, she was my old fantasy, but now I'm with Tawny and I'm content."

"Ooh." The doctor stood and rounded her desk to take a seat next to Greg. "Two things scare me there, Greg…your defensiveness and the use of the word 'content'. Do you know the Webster's definition of the word content? It's…_to be happy with one's lot_. I think that's what scaring Tawny…the feeling that you've accepted your lot and are making the best of it but, she's afraid while visiting home, you'll be reminded of what you used to want and perhaps lose that contented feeling."

"I'm just gonna cancel the trip."

"Oh!" Dr. Myers brought her hands to her heart. "Avoidance, Greg? Avoidance! Are you trying to break my heart?"

Even though he didn't want to, he chuckled.

"If you think Tawny is paranoid about you seeing Becca…if you cancel the trip to avoid seeing her, Tawny will really panic."

Downtrodden, he asked, "I don't suppose I could go into the witness-protection program without being accused of avoidance again, huh?"

"How about using the trip to California to break the fifteen year old spell?"

"Um…" Uncertain of what she meant exactly he asked, "Could you um…expound on that point?"

"Certainly. Here's what could happen if you don't confront this hold she has on you right now" Switching to a maternal tone the doctor counseled, "It's a year from now…you and Tawny are dog-tired from dealing with newborn twins and wondering when the last time you had sex or a conversation was. You run into Becca…Becca with the intellectual job, fabulous body, salon-perfect hair…and all she fawns over you. That spell she has on you is going to be a formidable enemy to your marriage. You'll look at carefree Becca whose shirt isn't covered in baby drool and think wow…I remember when Tawny used to be that relaxed, sexy, and into me. You'll look at her with the weary eyes of a husband who has been working his ass off to provide for his family, a husband who hasn't slept well in months and just got an earful from his stressed-out wife about the trash or the bills and you'll say…"

Greg averted his eyes.

"Well…we don'tknow what **you** would say in that situation but…" Dr. Myers grabbed the Frost poetry book off the desk and tapped it. "That's a fork in the road many married men face. Considering the divorce rate in this country due to infidelity, I think we both know which road they're taking half the time…and **with whom** did some of those men escape the monotony?"

"Tawny." The sobering reality check appreciated, Greg nodded. "So, while I may find it hard to believe, she doesn't."

"She watched them leer at her nightly, Greg."

"Yeah…and some of them lied to her about being married and having kids. They took her out and wined, dined and bedded her without guilt." Reconnecting with his therapist's eyes he nodded. "I get it, thanks."

"Good." Her eyes moved to the whiteboard. "What nightmare element do you want to discuss next…Mom, Dad, Tucker Mifflin or death?"

"Actually, I'd like to talk about my childhood comfort item for a minute. Do you think there's anything wrong with a boy having a stuffed donkey named Mr. Peebles?"

"No."

"Do you think there's anything wrong about the boy's mom keeping it in a custom-made plexiglass box in the family room now that he's grown?"

"Yes, I think your mother has transferred her feelings for you onto Mr. Peebles and is doing with him what she wishes she could do with you…keep you locked away and under her control."

"That's **so** screwed up."

"You can unscrew it."

"Yeah…but can I do it **without **screwing my mom?"

"Uh…"

"Oh!" Realizing what he just said Greg clarified, "I meant without screwing **up** my mom…as in breaking her heart and ruining her happiness. It was** so** not a Freudian slip or a…hey! Stop staring at me like that! I'm messed up but I'm not a freak."

"Okay, Hamlet." Dr. Myers broke into laughter. "Just kidding."

"You had me going."

"It's the poker face…I won a huge pot over the weekend at Caesar's."

**Ely State Prison  
****8:24 a.m. **

Gil sat at the table channeling every ounce of strength in his being to appear calm, cool and collected even though he was rioting with panic on the inside. How would he look? How would he react? The game was pointless but he played it to pass the time.

The cold, gray room in which they were to meet brought no comfort…it matched his uneasy mood like a glove. Breathe, he reminded himself…deep, cleansing breaths. Don't let him see you sweat. Don't show fear in your eyes. It's like a poker, he thought…and he knew his opponent was already an excellent reader of his tells.

The buzzer startled him and Gil jumped to his feet, anxious to see his foe's initial reaction.

"Gil…" Mike greeted him with a brotherly smile. "This is such a surprise." As always, he wasted no time moving in for the kill. "How are you? How's the job? How's **your pregnant wife**?" It was a hunch but he quickly found confirmation in Gil's eyes. "Are you hoping for a boy or a girl…or are you one of those people who hope it's just born alive and well?" While the guard shackled him to the chair, Mike beamed with satisfaction because even though only forty two seconds had passed, Gil was already squirming and wishing the visit was over. Locking eyes with the rattled man Mike puckishly inquired, "Did you miss me?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Teaser for chapters 5-9:** It's a new day and there will be plenty of action by the stroke of midnight! In chapter 5 specifically, you'll see the entire Gris/Mike visit along with Tawny's visit to Dr. Myers and a few surprises…

**Next chapter posting:** Sunday morning 8/28

As always, thanks to everyone for reading!

MistyJ thanks for your comments on the last chapter. I'm glad you are enjoying the story. :-)

Maggs


	5. Chapter 5

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 5**

**August 29, 2005  
****Ely State Prison  
****8:26 a.m. **

Now that the guard had Rodgers shackled to the chair, which was already bolted into the floor, Gil said, "You can leave us."

"I'll call you if I need help, Stanley," Mike informed the guard. "Although I really can't imagine Gil doing something worse to me than putting me behind bars when I'm innocent." He drilled his gaze into his adversary's while the guard walked through the door shutting it loudly. "I haven't gotten over that yet…but I'm working diligently with Reverend Hawkins to forgive you."

"Good luck with that," Gil calmly retorted.

"So how do I look…aside from being bigger and stronger than ever?" He smiled as he nodded. "Yeah, I know my hair is different…the dashes of grey. I'm not dying it in here because I'm not looking for a date." Cracking a wider grin he said, "I bet Sara would find it attractive because we both know she likes older guys. Speaking of which…you're looking a little greyer yourself. Is the missus stressing you out?"

Gil chose not to reply and let Rodgers keep talking.

"I see you dropped a few pounds. Did she put you on a diet?" Chuckling he said, "Sara…she has to be a pill to live with. If ever a girl needed a therapist…" His voice morphed to concern. "Do you think it's healthy for such an unstable, fragile woman to have a baby? Hey…how'd an impotent guy like you pull that off, anyway? Assuming the baby is yours." Mike shook his head. "Did you go the sperm bank route? Or did Nicky do the honors for ya? I'm sure Sara would have preferred Warrick Brown, but that would have been a little too obvious when the kid popped out, huh?"

The goal was to have Rodgers talk as much as possible and he wasn't disappointing.

"Just kidding. Because of her freaky obsession with you, I know Sara wouldn't settle for anything less than your seed. And with Viagra I bet you even got to fertilize her the natural way." He narrowed his gaze. "Tell me…after all those years of screwing with her head, how did it feel to finally just screw her?"

For Gil it was a harsh reminder of his often manipulative past with Sara.

"C'mon, man…you come all this way to see me and you're not gonna talk? What the hell is that?" He shrugged as much as his shackles would allow. "I'm certain you're taping this without my consent so you can replay our chat for your own listening pleasure. I say it's for your own pleasure since you couldn't possibly have grounds to get permission and the tape would be inadmissible in court. You won't take it public either because it would look bad for you to do something shady. Yeah…that kind of reputation bashing move would jeopardize all those convictions you helped win…even mine." He waited but Gil still didn't play along. "Seriously…I need some intellectual stimulation, I'm afraid I'm getting rusty around all these half-wits. So how about a little open and honest two way communication for a guy in need?"

"Okay." Gil placed his briefcase on the table and opened it. "Let's see how honest you are about this." He fanned out copies of the greeting card's interior, exterior and envelope on the metal table. "Thoughts?"

"Hmm…" Mike carefully reviewed each page and then remarked, "Hallmark…whoever sent it cared enough to send the very best. Or so the saying goes anyway. I know this because my dearly departed wife always checked the back of the cards I gave her to make sure they were Hallmark."

Gil pointed to the postmark.

"Oswego, New York…never been there. I don't care much for the East Coast."

"Got any friends there?"

"Nope." Easing into a grin he said, "But as I recall…and my memory may be a little rusty here because it was a long time ago…the Hatcher family had some relatives there. Samantha and Wendy's uncle? Maybe an aunt? Like I said, it was a while ago."

Gil smiled back. "Nice touch." Obviously he wanted to make it seem that Wendy was assisting him in trying to frame Mike.

"How are Wendy and her brood? She's got so many kids she probably wouldn't bat an eye if one disappeared." Mike lowered his head. "I shouldn't joke about something as serious as losing a child…especially not in front of a guy who is expecting his first. Sorry for being insensitive."

"I'd expect nothing less."

"Ouch." Mike returned his gaze. "Okay, let's cut to the chase. Is there something you want to ask me?"

"Did you send the card?"

"Doesn't look like my handwriting." He cackled. "Whoever sent it sure knows you well though. Knows about you loser move last year. That narrows it down. Who knew about that besides me? Sara…a few of your co-workers…hey…maybe Nicky sent it?"

Gil played along. "What makes you say that?"

"No, you're right. He's too busy playing monogamous man with his cute little fiancée, Carrie." Laughing hard he said, "My brother gave me a copy of their engagement announcement. I was quite surprised that Slick picked a pixie who obviously skipped puberty when he was used to banging babes, but then I had my brother Google Ms. Blake for me and it all made sense. Obviously, he couldn't bring one of his usual whores home to meet Mama. Yeah…Nicky was looking to settle down and up his respectability within the Stokes clan so he finds a girl who his law abiding family will love…a prosecutor and a good Christian girl. Surely that has to trump his big brother who married a vapid supermodel."

"I see you still like to do your research."

"Old habits are hard to break." Drifting to a solemn tone he sighed, "Such a shame what happened to Carrie as a kid, huh? Tragic. I bet she still has nightmares about that pervert taking advantage of her. Yeah…I bet her biggest fear is that something like that will happen to her again." He shivered. "Thankfully she has a strong Texan to protect her. Oh! That reminds me…would you tell my ol' pal Slick that I met an admirer of his in here… Nigel. The guy's a bit clingy." Laughing he added, "But he treats me like a rock star hoping I'll tell him something about Nick. On his birthday last week I gave him my copy of the engagement announcement…poor Nige…he wasn't too stoked. Ripped Carrie right out of the photo while he went on and on about her not being Nick's type because he likes red heads with big tits and long legs. He thinks Carrie brainwashed him or something. Gee…I sure hope he's not plotting some kind of twisted revenge from the inside…I've heard some guys do that type of thing."

"How have you been passing the time, Mike?" Gil settled back ready to hear the BS he knew was coming.

"I found Christ, which is hilarious because I thought he was dead, not missing." Mike burst out laughing. "Yeah…I've been exercising my right to practice Christianity. Hey, Gil…did you know that some of the scariest dudes in here make the best fundamentalist Christians?"

"And yet you chose to join their group. Why's that?"

"Hey…you gotta belong to something around here. If you don't go hard and get into the gang shit, you find religion. Since I'm a law abiding citizen, I of course turned to God. And you know me…I never do anything half-ass, so I even got a cross tattooed on my chest a few months back. It's a work of art. I'd show it to you but…" He rattled his chains. "You're nothing in the joint if you don't get a tat."

"Getting caught receiving or giving a tattoo in prison is a serious infraction." Gil removed his glasses. "Pretty risky choice because your holier than thou image would have been tainted if you were discovered in the act."

"Well, we both know I'm good at getting away with stuff."

"Until you were busted and sent here."

"This is a temporary setback and I'm okay with it." Leaning as far forward as he could Mike wiggled his brows and whispered, "You wanna know why I'm okay with it, Gil?"

Without blinking he replied, "Like you said…I came all this way"

Mike parted his lips to speak but laughed instead. "Are you kidding? I'm not gonna tell you…it would ruin the surprise and you know how much I dig pulling off a good surprise." Then he yelled, "Yo! Stanley! It's my Bible Study hour and I need to go!"

When the door opened and the guard entered, Mike solemnly said, "Peace be with you, Dr. Grissom and remember, even for a lapsed Catholic like you…it's never too late to start saying your prayers." After winking he mouthed for only Gil to see, _never underestimate the power of prayer…or me. _

**Catherine's House  
****9:23 a.m. **

Staring at the shopping bag her mother was holding Lindsay snipped, "Is this some sort of peace offering?"

"You'll know when you look inside." After setting it on the bed she leaned against the wall.

Pulling out the pile of khaki skirts and Butterfield Academy crested navy polo shirts, she knew the answer was no.

"I refuse to let my previous inadequate parenting be an excuse for either of us to not do a better job going forward." She stood her ground. "That's not to say I don't recognize that my past actions have influenced your behavior enough to give you a confusing outlook on life."

"Uh…yeah." Lindsay tossed the clothes on the bed. "You've ruined me."

"That's exactly why I signed us up for mother-daughter counseling." The horrified look on her daughter's face made her smile. "You can also have private sessions if you'd like. The therapist's name is Dr. Myers and she comes highly recommended."

"What!" Lindsay flew off the bed. "First you enroll me in a school for geeks and now I have to go to some nutjob shrink!"

"Gil and Sara both go to her and they are…"

"Nuts!" Lindsay filled in the blank. "Grissom plays with roaches and Sara kisses him!"

"Okay, okay…bad example." Catherine rubbed her temples. "Greg and Tawny both see her as well."

"If you left Greg out I might feel better." Lindsay returned to her bed and pouted. "As if it weren't bad enough that Ryan Blake will be telling everyone I'm a slut. Now my friends are going to find out I'm going to geek school **and** that I'm so psycho I have to go to therapy."

"You could always say that my forcing you to go to geek school drove you insane." Catherine took a seat next to her. "I want us healthy, Linds…once and for all. Think of it this way, it's not fair to Warrick to live with us the way we are, the least we can do is try to make it a happier place for him."

Eyeing her mother Lindsay snipped, "If you're going to use guilt to motivate me, maybe we should switch to the Catholic Church."

"Hey…since you're on the outs with Ryan and over Josh, does this mean we can stop going to church?"

"Would that make you happy?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Then we're still going." Lindsay finally cracked a smile. "And I'll tell the therapist how important it is to attend with **you **so she'll make you take me."

"Nice! Hey, at least it's only once a week," Catherine announced while heading for the door. "You have to go to Butterfield** five** days in a row. Love you, Sweetie."

"Love you too, Mommy Dearest!"

**Barnes & Noble Bookstore  
****10:03 a.m. **

"Mom!" Ryan dashed over with a book in his hand. "Can I get this book too?"

"What is it and how much is it?" He had already selected the first three Harry Potter books.

"NFL's Greatest – Pro Football's Best Players, Teams and Games. It's twenty dollars…which I know is a lot. I'll put it back."

"How about I get it for you birthday?" she countered, not wanting to discourage his new love of reading.

"Cool!" Ryan handed it over. "Can we go to lunch now?"

"After I pay for everything." Placing her arm around his shoulders she chuckled, "Considering your aunt is the toughest prosecutor in town, I don't think we should get arrested for shoplifting."

**Carrie Blake's Office  
****10:11 a.m. **

After a heartbreaking meeting with the parents of young boy who was molested at camp, Carrie attended an equally depressing staff meeting where case after sick or violent case was summarized while she fought to stay awake. In desperate need of a pick-me-up to help her exhausted body and melancholy mood, she grabbed a Diet Coke and Snickers bar from the vending machine on the way back to her office.

"Please…just ten minutes of peace is all I need," she announced to her secretary before locking the door.

At her desk, Carrie sank into her cushy chair, kicked off her Cole Hann dark chocolate sling pumps and closed her eyes. Realizing she'd fall asleep if she kept them shut, she opened them immediately and grabbed her candy bar.

Two bites into the chocolate treat she remembered the greeting card from Seattle she had stuffed in her bag. Excited to have a little cheer in her day she tossed her bar on the desk, whirled around in her chair and snatched the pink envelope from her briefcase. Just seeing the bride and groom sticker below the Hallmark logo on the back of the envelope brought a smile to her face.

On the front of the card was a picture, two cartoon hearts joined by a diamond ring. "Cute."

When she flipped open the card there wasn't a pre-printed greeting, only a handwritten message. Grabbing her Snickers bar once again, she leaned back to savor the chocolate and the note.

Congratulations on your engagement, Caroline. It must be great having a dependable, loving guy like Nick Stokes around after all you've been through. I bet a chivalrous guy like him would do anything to protect you. I bet he would give up his job, his freedom, even his life in exchange for your safety. It's rare to find those qualities in a man these days. It must feel like a blessing. Be careful though, it may be a curse.

After dropping the card on her desk Carrie bolted out of her chair. Instinctually, she raced to grab her cell phone and call Nick. Then she recalled his frantic words from the previous night…

"_What did you see?" he nervously asked. "Did you see me shoot him?" _

_Lowering the phone she answered, "I saw him put his hands up, but then I…" She inhaled sharply and said what she assumed had happened. "…I saw him lunge at you." _

_"That's what I thought happened but…I was so scared for you…it all happened so fast…I thought I might have…"_

Trembling, she returned her phone to her purse and leaned against the wall. From there she eyed the card. "He wants me to tell him," she whispered while sliding down the wall to sit on the floor.

Nick's words from that morning echoed in her head…_Rodgers researches everyone when he's sizing up targets. In hindsight I realized he knew everything about me._

Holding her head in her hand she stammered, "He's…he's counting on me getting scared and Nicky trying to take matters into his own hands. He knows Nicky would do it and after last night…I think he might." As she brought her knees to her chest she thought…Rodgers probably researched me too. He probably knows my history…the abuse and the death threats…that's why he's so sure I'll run for help.

After staring into space for a while Carrie stood, brushed off the dust on the back of her brown plaid skirt and went to the door. After opening it she proceeded to her secretary's desk and smiled. "May I have a legal size envelope, please?"

"Sure." She handed it over quickly. "Need me to have something couriered?"

"No, thanks." Carrie returned to her office and shut the door behind her.

At her desk, she used a tissue to pick up the card and its envelope and carefully placed them inside the large legal one. Then she unlocked an office drawer, stuck it in the very back and slammed it shut it, saving it to show Nick during a less chaotic time in his life…or maybe never.

A minute later her cell phone rang and she saw it was her future husband calling. "Hey, Tex," she sweetly answered, pushing past her worry. "Are you checking up on me?"

"How's your day goin', Darlin'?"

"I'm tired but other than that…great." With a shaky hand, Carrie picked up her Snickers. "How are you doing?"

**The Townhouse  
****10:43 a.m. **

Feeling lousy about giving Tawny such a hard time that morning, Greg purposely returned home after he knew she would be gone.

After placing the beautiful vase of red roses he bought for her on the kitchen counter, Greg hurried to unpack the bag he was carrying…two Asian chicken salads and pot stickers for their lunch later, and a decadent slice of cheesecake to share afterwards. He was sure it would be a hit because, these days, food was a quick way to Tawny's heart.

After stowing the goodies in the fridge he took a seat at the kitchen counter. Grabbing the blank greeting card he had purchased, he clicked open a pen, anxious to complete the final part of his 'cheer up Tawny' plan.

**Dr. Myers Office  
****11:08 a.m. **

As Tawny sat sniffling into a wad of tissues, Dr. Myers finished reading the printout of Becca's soul baring instant message.

"It's over, isn't it?" Tawny whimpered. "Even pregnant with Greg's babies I can't compete with fifteen years of friendship and desire. Not to mention she's an attractive well-bred genius who has an education equal to Greg."

Lowering the page Dr, Myers asked, "Do you really believe that, Tawny?"

"I'm scared," she confessed in between sobs. "I don't know what to believe."

Moving around her desk the doctor pulled a chair over to her quivering patient. "You need to calm down for yourself and the babies. Deep breath in…slow exhale out. Can you do that for me ten times while you listen?"

"Y…yes.," she answered before attempting the first.

"Just like that…perfect." The doctor lifted the piece of paper. "I see more in this message than you do, Tawny. I see a lonely woman who has been burned in marriage. I see a girl who is trying to cling to something she had in high school because grown up life has let her down. And while I do believe she has strong feelings for Greg because of their history, I don't necessarily believe she loves him romantically. I think she wants to feel beautiful and special and Greg has always been good at making her feel that way." Taking Tawny's hand she gave it a squeeze. "She's looking for a soft place to land just like you were and you know Greg makes a really good teddy bear."

"Uh huh," she sniffled.

Smiling confidently the doctor said, "I also see a critical difference in the way you and Becca view Greg…she landed in his arms many times but **always** walked away. You landed in his arms once and told him you never wanted to leave. Don't you think that means something to him?"

"I hope so but…"

Sensing there was a bigger issue working on the girl she prompted, "Let me hear your fears…without filtering."

"Greg's a great liar," she blurted, surprising herself. "He's lied to his parents about **really** serious things. His uncanny ability to lie is what saved his life when he was being held hostage. Just the other day I found out he set up a job interview behind my back. His mother lies to his father all the time and Greg enables her, which means he approves. Lying is one of his many gifts. And what I'm really afraid of…" She paused for another deep breath. "I'm afraid he's so good at it, that he's lying to himself and doesn't know it."

"Expand on that for me," she prodded while handing over another clump of tissues.

"I mean he wants to do the right thing so badly that I'm worried he's convinced himself to be with me even though deep down he may not think we have long-term potential." After blowing her red nose she continued, "He's under a lot of pressure from his friends. Nick would think he's irresponsible if he didn't marry me and Nick's not just his friend but his boss too. Greg also knows his father would be pissed and think terribly of him and although he'll say it doesn't matter, I get this feeling that he's been waiting his whole life to make his dad proud of him. And the biggest pressure on him…his mother wants him married and she wants the grandbabies. I know you know how influential his mother is in his life."

"Okay…I see where you're coming from. That doesn't mean I agree with your assessment though…or that I don't agree." Contemplating the situation, Dr. Myers fell silent. It was times like these that individually counseling both of the parties in a relationship had a distinct advantage. She knew three critical things: Becca was an expert at manipulating Greg in order to make herself feel better, even at Greg's expense; Tawny needed to feel that Greg is choosing to marry her because he loves her, not out of obligation; Greg needed to break the spell Becca had over him. Of course, due to patient confidentiality she couldn't tell Tawny what she had instructed Greg to do but…she could encourage Tawny to do something that would help Greg achieve his goal and hopefully would help Tawny achieve hers as well.

"It can't be a good sign that you're speechless." Tawny reached for the chocolate she was unable to eat when she first arrived.

"I won't lie to you, Tawny…it's a complicated situation." The doctor rose from her chair to head for the bookshelf. "The reality is you and Greg have only been together a very short time and you don't know each other that well and you were brought together by a mutual desire to see the pregnancy through. Doubts are normal in any relationship, but in one started like yours, they're also practical. "

"That's why we didn't win when we were playing this couples quiz game yesterday." Her tears suddenly resurfaced. "I really wanted to win to prove…"

With a book of quotes in hand Dr. Myers returned. "Deep breath," she reminded.

Tawny complied and grabbed some new tissues.

"What will it take to convince you that Greg means it when he says he wants to spend the rest of his life with you? Or rephrased…what has been missing that precludes you from believing Greg is truly happy with you?"

The answer surfaced immediately. "I can't tell if it's obligation, pressure, or true love motivating him to be with me. Because of the babies he feels he **has** to be with me…he didn't **choose **to be with me after being with a bunch of women, like Nick chose Carrie. With Nick it's obvious that he's in the relationship because he's tested the waters and knows Carrie is his perfect match. If tomorrow he were forced to marry another girl out of obligation, he'd always love and long for Carrie and his wife would never have his heart." After a tormented sigh she sadly said, "I'm just the girl Greg happened to get pregnant before he really ever got to test the waters and find his perfect match. What if his perfect match is Becca? If she is, she'll always have his heart instead of me even if I'm the one married to Greg."

Dr. Myers opened to a page in the book. "Okay…read this quote by Richard Bach."

After dabbing her wet eyes Tawny did as instructed. "If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were."

When her patient glanced up the doctor asked, "So, Tawny, my question is...exactly how big of a risk are you willing to take to find your answer?"

**The Grissoms'  
****11:31 a.m. **

When Sara heard the garage opening she hurried to meet Gil at the door. She couldn't wait to see him and verify that the confidence she had heard in his voice when he called from the airport, was still there.

When he stepped through the door leading from the garage to inside the house, she didn't hold back. "Hold me first then talk."

He gladly complied. "Let's talk in the bedroom," he suggested since all their heartfelt conversations were always held there.

Walking down the hall she asked, "Were you able to tape him?"

"Yes." He pulled the recorder from his pocket. "I've listened to it several times. Now you can listen to it with me and give me your insight. I'll warn you though…he hasn't changed."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't expecting he would." Relieved that he wasn't keeping anything from her she rested her head on his shoulder. "But there is a huge difference from the last time he tried to get between us." Flashing her wedding band she said, "We weren't a team. He can't play us against each other this time."

"That's right." Suddenly compelled to kiss his wife he stopped walking. "And because of it…whatever he has planned isn't going to work."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****11:51 a.m. **

The greeting card shoved to a remote corner of her mind, Carrie walked into the apartment with Nick and cheerfully greeted her future mother-in-law, "Hi, Jillian."

"Sugar, you look exhausted," she replied in a motherly tone. "And from that pile of books and papers Nicky's carryin' I take it even though you got to come home you have work to do."

"I'm afraid so. I have a to-do list a mile long inside the first book." A beastly yawn prevented her from providing further details. "Excuse me."

"You need a power nap," Nick advised, being an expert in the area himself. "When pulling doubles, if I take a twenty minute snooze in the back of my Tahoe I'm good to go for another six hours."

"I'm on it." Removing her suit jacket she headed for the bedroom. "Don't let me sleep longer than thirty minutes."

When Carrie was gone, Jillian tugged the to-do list out from the top book. "Ooh…this will be fun. I'll pretend I'm twenty-two and clerking again." Pointing to the kitchen she instructed, "Set me up at the kitchen table, Son."

"Mama, if you don't mind, I'm going to grab some z's too." He placed the pile of materials on the table. "I'm beat."

"After the night you had of course you are, Honey. Until now you've been running on adrenaline." She kissed his cheek. "I'll have supper waiting for you when you wake."

"Wow…I could get used to coming home to you every day again, Mama." Under his breath he mumbled, "Damn…I'm turning into Sanders."

**The Townhouse  
****12:18 p.m. **

When he heard the front door opening, Greg darted from the living room to greet his emotional gal and begin project 'cheer up Tawny'. "Hey there." One look at her and he knew she had a rough session. "Need a hug?"

She nodded, hoping it wouldn't be the last hug he'd ever give her.

"My session was really rough too," he empathized. "But that's a good sign. It means we're working through our baggage." Smoothing his hand over her golden hair Greg whispered, "Don't worry, we'll get through all this and be fine."

"Um…" Not desiring to prolong the agony she pulled out of his embrace and cut to the chase. "There's something I have to show you." From her pink leather purse she removed the printed message from Becca. "When I sat down at the computer last night your AOL account was open. I had this sudden pang of suspicion so I checked your e-mails…I was worried that you were doing more job hunting behind my back."

Feeling badly Greg sighed, "Again…I'm really sorry I did that and I swear I'll never keep that stuff from you going forward because I realize now it's not just my future, it's yours too."

"Yeah…the future is exactly what I need to talk to you about." Handing him the paper she meekly said, "I opened your buddy list too and when I did, Becca IM'd you…or so she thought. It was really me reading it." When he took the paper she said, "When you read it, you'll understand why I've been acting so strange since you caught me on the computer last night."

"Uh…okay." With trepidation he opened the folded 8 ½ by 11 sheet and began reading.

Leaning against the wall in the hallway Tawny watched Greg's expression as Becca's words sunk in. Finally, when he lowered the paper she remarked in a choppy voice, "Crazy timing, huh?"

Greg remained speechless.

"I was planning to get you out of bed so you could reply to her. To stall I typed, 'I'm speechless' but she logged out before I had a chance to get you and then I panicked."

"Um…" Greg glanced down at the page again. "Yeah…well…that's what I would have typed too so..."

After gulping down her panic Tawny calmly said, "I want you to go to California today without me."

"What?" Stunned, he snapped his gaze off the note and onto her. "No way. We're leaving together Wednesday as planned." Tossing the paper on the entryway table he emphatically said, "Not that I'm interested anymore but even if I was…she's too late."

"No, she's not." Tawny whisked away the one tear she had accidentally let escape. "Greg…we can parent the babies together without being in a romantic relationship."

"Tawny…" He clutched his overtaxed head. "What? Why? Are you saying…I don't believe this is…are you breaking up with me?"

"No, I'm giving you a chance to explore your feelings so you can, without a doubt, figure out if you're with me out of obligation or love."

"Love!" Grabbing the printout he tore it into shreds. "Better?" He searched her eyes hoping for proof that it was.

"No…it's not." Pointing to the luggage they had lined up in the hallway for the trip she said, "Go see Becca. Really give it a chance."

"Have you lost your…"

"Please! Please, listen to me," she pleaded while fighting back tears. "I'd rather you find out I'm not the one for you **now**, instead of years from now. Go there and be honest with yourself. If after you** really** explore the possibility, you decide that I'm the only one for you…great…" A tear slipped then another followed. "Call me and tell me to be on the next flight out. But, Greg…if after you do some soul searching…if you can't say with 100 percent certainty that I'm the one that will make you happy for the rest of your life…then call me and tell me that too. I can take it. I don't want my husband living a lie because I know how that goes…I saw it nightly at the club. I don't want to live one either and our babies deserve more than to grow up in a house where their parents only got together because it was the responsible thing to do."

"You want me to…" Watching her swat away her tears his heart ached. "You want me to **explore **my options? Are you saying I should go to California and hook up with Becca?"

"Yes." She nodded for emphasis. "Do whatever it takes to decide and I mean **anything**."

"Are you…" The Twilight Zone feeling growing stronger he half-laughed, "Are you giving me permission to sleep with her?"

"Yes." Sniffling she explained, "Because I know I won't be able to compete with a fantasy over time."

"You're crazy."

"Am I?" Locking on his eyes she stared at him until he looked away.

"Yes!" After staring at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity, Greg jerked forward and took his bags. "There's stuff in the fridge for lunch and I left something for you on the kitchen counter." Then, without making eye contact or saying another word he walked out the door.

The sound of the door slamming shut startled Tawny as she walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Immediately the twelve perfect red roses in a crystal vase caught her eye.

She cried harder.

Then she saw the open card and wrapped her fingers around it. With her forearm she wiped her tears, hoping to clear her eyes enough to read what Greg had penned inside.

**_The Road Chosen  
_****_By Greg Hojem Sanders_**

_Alone in the lab I sat night after night.  
__Until the day my CSI dream took flight._

_Not long after that, I was led to your perch.  
__Hours later my recklessness would put us in a lurch._

_At first I was scared, downright terrified.  
__I panicked, I cursed and then I simply just cried._

_Out of the blue you came, and gave me a choice.  
__Not sure what to do, I listened to your eyes and your voice._

_Minutes later I chose to see the pregnancy through,  
__Uncertain of the future…of me and of you._

_If given a redo, all kidding aside,  
__There's one thing I'd change…how fast I replied._

_Seconds, not minutes would I take this time.  
__Because life with you in it…couldn't be more sublime._

_I love you, Tawny  
__So much and forever_

She cried harder still.

"Greg!" Clutching the poem she raced to the front door, certain he had mentioned leaving something in the kitchen on purpose so she'd read it and rush to stop him. "Greg!" she yelled while flinging open the door.

Her heart sank when she saw the empty driveway.

**The Grissoms'  
****12:32 p.m. **

After listening to the Rodgers tape three times in silence while she lay on top of the bed covers with her husband, Sara finally said, "I don't know where to begin." Staring at her vexed husband she rambled her thoughts. "There are a bunch of veiled threats…harm to Wendy's children, Carrie…our baby." The chill racing up her spine caused a visible shiver.

"He wants revenge on the three people he believes put him away…Wendy, Nick and me."

"And the best way to get that would be to hurt the loved ones of his enemies."

Gil factually agreed. "It's a tactic that's been employed throughout history."

"Right, why reinvent the wheel?" Sara remarked before rolling onto her back. "I always imagined he'd be more creative than that though." Nervous laughter caught her off guard. "I just want to point out how remarkably strong and calm I'm being about this…a year of therapy and a good relationship really do have an impact on mental health."

His wife's words set off an alarm in Gil's head. "Wait…what if he is being more creative? What if the card and his comments are just diversionary tactics so we don't see his real plan coming?" Jittery with a combination of excitement and fear Gil slipped out of bed and began walking the room. "What does Mike enjoy most?"

"Playing games, messing with people's heads, psychological tricks…like in Tahoe when he was convincing you I gave myself the GHB."

"That's right, and what else…"

"Aside from murder and rape? Hmm…" Propping up on her elbow she sighed, "Getting away with it all and making other people feel powerless and pissed off…Wendy being a great example of his success."

"That's right." Gil leaned against the dresser. "So…there has to be more to his plan than just putting hits out on loved ones because, if he's not doing the damage himself, he's not getting pleasure out of it."

"But what do you think his plan could be?"

Running his fingers over his beard Gil pondered the possibilities. "Well…for starters, he's definitely trying to put us on edge."

"And doing an excellent job." Sara picked up the tape recorder and exhaled sharply. "If Nick hears this tape he'll flip."

"Because not only has Mike researched Carrie and is insinuating harm against her…he's got Nigel under his wing. It took Nick months to calm down and stop looking over his shoulder after the Nigel incident." Returning to the bed he said, "I'm not going to play it for him, Sara. Since it's an illegal recording we're keeping it between husband and wife."

"Can we do something about Nigel interacting with Mike?"

Already a step ahead, Gil smiled. "I made a few phone calls and I expect Nigel to be transferred out of Ely in the near future."

"Of course you did." She proudly returned his smile. "Okay, next area of concern…"

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****1:13 p.m. **

Jillian had already crossed two items off Carrie's to-do list when she heard her cell phone ring. Tossing her pencil down she checked the caller ID and answered quickly. "Harvey…I really appreciate you returning my call so fast."

"Anything for you," the long-time family friend assured her. "I've got someone lined up…he's the best of the best. Got a pen?"

She grabbed her pencil. "Go ahead."

"His name is Bryce Morton. He's fast, extremely discreet and as thorough as a blood hound when it comes to tracking. You know that huge scandal last year when the photos of Representative Johnson in Cancun with a girl for hire hit the Dallas papers? Well, this guy I'm sending your way was working for **Mrs.** Johnson and he's the one who snapped the pics."

"Sounds perfect." Jillian smiled as she wrote the name. "I want to know everything about Mrs. Anson-Travers. No stone unturned."

"Morton will turn over every pebble but he doesn't come cheap, Jilly."

"Don't worry, I've got a little saved up for a rainy day." As she jotted the phone number he was reciting she thought…and last night it poured buckets and I intend to make that vile woman pay.

**Ely State Prison  
****2:05 p.m. **

As he stood at the railing overlooking the common area Mike watched the inmates below passing the time in various non-productive ways.

For him on the other hand, the day had been quite productive. The visit from Gil was a pleasant diversion in a weary existence. Right now he imagined Gil and Sara would be holed up trying to figure out each and every meaning behind his statements. Forensic Psychologists loved psycho-babble bullshit and he hoped he gave him a few meaty scraps on which to chew…a few red herrings too…and a healthy dose of fear.

Fear; he thought of it as an early birthday gift for Sara and a belated one for Gil and Nick. Having done his research, he knew Wendy's boys had a birthday coming up soon too. A satisfied smirk appeared when he thought of the gift he had in mind for them, his only regret…he wouldn't be there to see the look on Wendy's face when she saw the surprise.

**McDonald's Parking Lot  
****2:31 p.m. **

Halfway to San Marino, Greg had stopped for food and a reality check, hoping a quick call to Becca would clear things up in his mind and hers. Then he could call Tawny and give her a definitive answer.

"Hoj!" Becca's voice sang through the phone. "I didn't expect you to call so soon. Does this mean you're no longer speechless?" After a minute she chuckled, "I guess you are still speechless because you're not saying anything."

"Oh…sorry." He leaned against the wall of the McDonald's. "I pulled off the 15 to get some food and…"

"You're on your way home!" she bubbled with excitement. "Your mom said you wouldn't be here until Thursday."

"Well I…"

With hope in her voice she inquired, "Was it my message? Aww…you miss me too."

"Um…yeah…we need to talk about…"

"My place…six o'clock…712 Via Diabla…oh, you know where it is because you were here for a party. Bring your swim trunks because we'll have drinks and chill by the pool…just like old times…except now we're legal. I'll order in for dinner and then we can snuggle up and watch a movie like we used to when you were mending my broken heart." Her voice took a sultry turn. "After that…well, I don't want to push anything but, I'm tired of rattling around in that big house alone so…I'd love it if you spent the night…as a friend…or something more if that's where things end up…I guess we'll have to wait and see, huh? God…I can't wait to see you…to feel your arms around me, to get lost in your eyes and hear your infectious laugh. Jesus! I sound like I'm reading a page out of a Harlequin and you know I mean it this time because I'm sober!"

"Uh…" Speechless, he rushed his fingers through his hair. A lot of what she said was a repeat of the Instant Message but** hearing **his ex-fantasy girl say it to him in a sexy voice, was quite different than reading about it. "I…um…" As he listened to her purr sentiments through the phone Greg felt his pulse rise along with a body part that apparently had a mind of its own. Becca was right, it was just like old times, and she still had a direct line to his libido that bypassed his heart and mind. Dr. Myers had been right too, fifteen years of fantasy couldn't be discounted. But the worst part was, Tawny had known it all along. The truth devastated him and standing there he realized it was English class all over again…Becca whispering in his ear and him squirming to stave off a woody. So, just as he did back then, Greg closed his eyes and summoned his strongest anti-boner thought.

"I'll be counting the minutes, Hoj." Sighing blissfully she confessed, "Oh shoot, I'm being called into a meeting. I'm trying to make partner so I've got to kiss the ground these windbags walk on. Six o'clock! We'll toast to the past and then get on with the future."

With visions of wrinkly old ladies in flowery latex caps swimming in his head Greg stammered, "Uh…actually…I think I shouldn't…" But before he could say anything coherent she was gone. "Shit!" he cursed, unaware that a family with children was walking by. "Sorry!" he groveled to the mother scowling at him. "Sorry…really sorry. It's just…I'm having such a shitty day." Realizing he cursed again he yelped, "Jesus, I'm so sorry!" Then he saw every member of the family had a hemp cross around their neck and the mother was wearing a t-shirt that read, '_got Christ? Family Bible Camp 2005'._ "I'll shut up now."

Before walking into McDonalds's, the teenage boy of the family snipped, "Keep goin' in the same direction, Mister and you'll burn in hell."

"Tell me something I don't know," Greg replied as he headed for his car to continue on the road chosen by Tawny, the Highway to Hell, also known as the I-15 South and the quickest way to San Marino, his past and Becca.

**Catherine's House  
****2:42 p.m. **

"I can't believe you're making me do this," Lindsay droned. The idea of having to face Ryan and his mother made her stomach knot.

Catherine dangled her keys. "Time to go."

From her desk Lindsay grabbed a notebook and pen.

"Are you going to take notes at the meeting so you can review everything you learn?" Catherine inquired. "How diligent."

"No…" Lindsay stepped into her purple-jeweled flip flops and smiled. "I'm going to use the time on the drive over to start a list for therapy…all the things you've done to make me insane."

Catherine nodded approvingly. "You have excellent time management skills, Sweetie. I bet they'll love that at Butterfield."

**The Blakes  
****2:46 p.m. **

While Sean happily reviewed his Butterfield Academy orientation materials for the tenth time, Ryan sat on the couch zoning out in front of Sportscenter while McKenna played Barbies with Wendy.

"Mom!" Sean excitedly pointed to one of the colorful brochures. "Did you know that last year's winner of the National Science Fair was from Butterfield? He was a senior so he won't be there this year…darn."

"Good thing he won't be there, Bugboy." Lying on his back tossing a football Ryan quipped, "There's probably only room for one…" Then he saw his mother's glare. "…super genius."

"Ryan…" Wendy prodded, "Lindsay and her mom will be here soon, you need to go freshen up." He had been out in the heat at football practice all morning and she could smell him from across the room.

"No way." He sniffed his arm pit. "If I reek then Octopus Chick will stay far away from me."

"Octopus chick?" Sean parroted. "Is anyone going to tell me what happened yesterday and why Lindsay is coming over?"

"No," both Wendy and Ryan quickly replied.

Luckily McKenna had the scoop. "I heard mommy tell daddy that Lindsay tackled Ryan onto the bed and they got into a hot and heavy wrestling match." Shaking her head she said, "You know the rules…no playing sports in the house."

Sean stared at his brother. "You got caught in bed with Lindsay Willows?"

"Don't look at me, Dude." Ryan shook his head. "That girl is a real s…" Then he saw his mother's glare. "…sports enthusiast."

Sean's heart broke a little more as he realized the girl of his dreams was apparently dreaming of a lot more than he imagined he'd want to do for a while. "I'm uh…going to my room to get things ready for school on Wednesday." Hanging his head he slugged down the hall.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

The rollercoaster ride will continue for a bit and there will drops, twists and turns but don't worry, there will be fluffy cotton candy during the lulls!

FYI (because someone asked on my website and I wondered if others wondered too): there will be more CW ahead but it needs to happen after certain other events. Always think 'chain reaction' in this story, everything is linked ;-)

**In the chapter:** more casefile, Dr. Myers afternoon shopping trip is interrupted by a frantic call, more than one person gets a wake up call, and Sara is forced to give up something she loves. **Posting: late Tuesday**

Thanks for reading!

And thanks to Misty J for sharing your thoughts.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend,  
Maggs


	6. Chapter 6

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 6**

**August 29, 2005  
****Crime Lab  
****Jim Brass's Office  
****2:51 p.m. **

When Gil called in and said he and Sara would be getting some much needed sleep and that he would be in later that night, Jim Brass took the opportunity to meet with Warrick and Sofia to review the potentially correlated Park Attack case objectively. "Okay…I've gathered you fine people here this afternoon to educate me on Glen Montana."

Warrick nodded at Sofia, giving her the lead.

Moving to the whiteboard she grabbed a black marker. "I'll draw the time line." After uncapping the marker she wrote, **7 p.m**. "The time of the fight between Montana and his baby-mommy girlfriend, Jessica Hanson. Hanson says Montana knocked her around a bit then forced some hardcore sex…which apparently is a pretty typical love-making pattern for them." She rolled her eyes while writing, **7:40 p.m.** "Having released enough testosterone for the moment, Montana takes his girlfriend's welfare money and leaves to score some crank after yelling '_you better get your ass back on the street and earn some cash, Ho!'_." Sofia glanced over at Warrick and Brass. "Isn't it amazing that this chick had a loaded gun at her disposal but at no time did she blow this bastard's head off? Some people really have a remarkably high tolerance level, don't you think?"

Leaning back in his chair Jim sighed, "All kidding about my personal life aside…she obviously has a very submissive personality combined with a severe self-esteem problem and no ability to see beyond the trailer park walls. Some women can last a decade before hauling off." His thoughts momentarily turned to Sara's parents' story. "Others never do. It's a mental illness on both sides."

"Yeah…" Warrick shook his head. "But only one of 'em suffers mentally** and** physically. I am amazed that she didn't kill him at some point because Ms. Hanson has anger management issues of her own. She went off at the scene threatening Cath. I filed a report, Jim. That cop in charge needs disciplinary action for leaving the tape."

"Don't worry, I'll follow up." Jim pointed to the board, "Keep going, Ms. Curtis."

**8:15 p.m.** "We have an eyewitness, a regular informant, placing Montana walking up to a house and exchanging cash for crank. Vega and his boys are on that. Montana hung around for approximately a half hour talking smack." **9:00 p.m**. "It's Ms. Hanson's lucky night because her sweetheart boyfriend returns with the crank in his system and he wants a little more action. This time she only has to get on her knees and he's out the door in five minutes"** 9:30 p.m.** "He's in Conley Park mugging Mr. Nunez, who unfortunately fought back when Montana walked away and he ended up dead. We have a positive ID from that vagrant, Jonesy, that Vartann brought in as well as a blow by blow of events."

Tapping a pencil Jim said, "Montana's rap sheet contained assault with a deadly weapon but no murder charges."

"The joint made him harder," Warrick surmised. "He went in a rapist and came out a murderer."

**10:30 p.m.** "Don't be such a cynic, Warrick. The system doesn't work for everyone but it works for some."

"Yeah…" he nodded. "I'm sure it's doing wonders for Mike Rodgers."

"Back to the timeline." Sofia pointed to the time she just jotted. "An eyewitness puts him at Sonny's on Stevenson from ten thirty until eleven twenty."

Warrick interjected, "That place is down the street from the park where Nick was playing ball. It's your typical locals bar and strip joint."

Sofia continued, "In Nick's statement he says he left home to play ball at eight-thirty. At that time Montana was busy getting high and chatting with nefarious friends so he couldn't have followed Nick. In Carrie's statement it says she left their apartment at eleven, driving. Montana is accounted for at Sonny's and couldn't have followed her."

Jim caught Warrick's eye. "How often does Nick play at Stevenson? Could Montana have gone there hoping to find him knowing the lights go out at eleven thirty?"

"Nicky and I played pick up games together there some mornings when we both worked nights. Before Carrie moved here he played without me at night but that ended quick once she moved to town. Without any other connection…"

"Okay." Sofia stuffed her hands on her hips and sighed, "To coin Jim's phrase…all kidding about my personal life aside…and in the interest of the case, I'll say that I've witnessed Nick at Sonny's on multiple occasions in the past."

Jim raised a brow for two reasons…first that at one time Sofia liked to accompany Nick to a semi-sleazy strip joint and secondly for the reason he said out loud. "So, in the same night, Montana ends up in two places that Nick frequented. That makes me curious."

"Yeah but…" Warrick countered, "I'm guessin' Nick hasn't been to Sonny's since Carrie moved to town…I'd even goes as far as sayin' that he hasn't been there since the Mike Rodgers thing blew a year ago." He looked at Sofia for her opinion.

"I can't place him there since July 2003," she replied before laughing. "For the record…I haven't been back since either." She shrugged. "Sonny's was a very short-lived phase and wouldn't you gentlemen** love** to know the details."

Jim couldn't hold back. "July 2003, huh? So, that's when the fireworks stopped. Sorry…sorry." He held up his hands. "I'll make sure Heather punishes me for that." He chuckled. "See…I made fun of myself and that somehow makes it okay, right?"

"If you say so, Jim." Sofia returned to the board. **11:40 p.m.** "Montana surprises Nick and Carrie in the park."

"What the hell were they doing in that park in the dark?" Jim blurted. "And I mean that in all seriousness. I can't believe Nick would put Carrie in that type of vulnerable position when he knows the crime rate there."

Sofia capped her marker. "I know Carrie likes that neighborhood for its convenience to the courthouse but, they really need to move if they plan on enjoying neighborhood amenities at night."

Warrick glanced at the casefile. "Carrie's statement says that she went there to surprise Nick and they were about to go out for a drink when they were jumped by Montana."

Jim took the statement from Warrick's hand. "All kidding about Nick and Carrie's personal life aside…I think that's bullshit. At the party she was going on about how behind she'd be at work because of her unplanned vacation. She specifically said she'd be up all night working so drinking doesn't jive. And how good does it look that Nick's going out drinking while trying to get his head together?"

Sofia countered, "Maybe the cop wrote **drink **but Carrie meant **coffee**. It wouldn't be the first time something's been written incorrectly by a cop."

"Why does it matter anyway?" Warrick asked. "They were at the park, they weren't doing anything illegal, they were just talking."

Jim defended the question. "I'm just playing devil's advocate because you know the Sheriff will be reviewing this one since Nick killed the guy while he was out on mandated vacation only a week after he went nutso on the Brittany Thomas crime scene."

Warrick leaned back in his chair and said, "Playing ball is an excellent way to release stress…I'd tell the Sheriff that Nicky was following orders to decompress and it's not his fault the County doesn't pay him enough to buy a house in a better neighborhood. Then I'd say his girl was meeting him because she's a romantic and likes to surprise him and with her future mother-in-law in town she wanted a little time alone with her man." Next he turned to Sofia. "I know you didn't have a chance to review the statements with them when they were here so…when Carrie does review it, I'd point out that the officer wrote 'drink' and ask her if she meant a cocktail or coffee."

Jim flashed a proud papa smile. "Very nice, Mr. Brown…I know you didn't learn that lovely political two-step from Grissom. I think I'll have you meet with the Sheriff because lately I can't stop myself from being a wise ass around him and I think he's tiring of my wit."

"It would be my pleasure."

Jim held up Sofia's report. "Justifiable homicide…self defense. Any qualms?"

"Nope." Sofia flicked her hair off her shoulder. "The evidence shows they were robbed at gunpoint. Montana had GSR on his hand from discharging his weapon at Nick. Nick witnessed Montana kidnapping Carrie and threatening rape. Carrie witnessed Nick fighting for the weapon and gaining control. In her statement she says Montana's hands went up but seconds later he lunged again…with the drugs in his system, which are detailed in the Tox Report, I'm sure he was an animal and wasn't going to quit. As a two-time loser he'd be facing his third strike and consequently be sent up for life. It was a fight to the death…thankfully Montana lost. Montana's previous convictions show he has a preference for jumping people in parks late at night. Sonny's is on the way from Conley to Stevenson. When Nick frequented Sonny's, Montana was incarcerated. In conclusion, I see no evidence of this being anything but a random act of violence because there was nothing in the apartment linking Montana to Nick or Carrie and the only thing they had in common was geography."

Jim tossed the file back on his desk. "That's an A plus for you too, Curtis. When the time comes, you go with Warrick to see the Sheriff." Cracking a grin he said, "But leave out the part about Sonny's."

Warrick laughed, "Since I'm not your boss anymore, Sofia, can I give you crap about that and we'll chock it up to bonding?"

Returning the laugh she replied, "I imagine **bonding** is really more of Jim and Heather's thing."

Jim shooed them away. "Be gone…I'm an important man."

Walking out of the office together Sofia informed her curious co-worker, "Nick, on the other hand, is very anti-**bonding **and that's all you're gonna get, Brown unless you dish me something good about Catherine."

"No way…you'll throw it back in her face."

"Yep." She swaggered down the hall away from him. "Guess that means you'll have to keep guessin'."

**The Blakes  
****3:07 p.m. **

Sitting around the kitchen table, Catherine, Wendy, Ryan and Lindsay stared nervously around the room. It didn't help matters that the house was unnervingly quiet because Paul had taken Sean, McKenna and Ashley to the grocery store.

"More milk or cookies?" Wendy finally asked to break the tension. She had baked dozens of cookies upon returning from her outing with Ryan, but now felt rather silly offering such a famous childhood snack during a talk about inappropriate adolescent behavior.

Catherine watched her future neighbor buzz around the kitchen like Betty Crocker on crack and decided she would have to make the first move. "I guess we should get down to business."

Proving he and his twin brother had some things in common Ryan blurted, "Lindsay getting down to business is exactly why I'm stuck here when I could be at Josh's for an end of summer swim party."

"Ryan!" Wendy shrieked. "We talked about how we were going to behave at this meeting and that's not what we agreed upon."

"Sorry," he groaned and returned to silence.

Her eyes fixed on the half-eaten cookie in front of her Lindsay felt her cheeks turning rosy red. Ryan thought she was a tramp and by now he had probably told several of the guys. "What exactly are we supposed to accomplish here?" Lindsay asked in a quiet voice. "Because if the purpose is to humiliate me I say we just marker a scarlet letter A on my t-shirt and call it a day."

Confused Ryan asked, "Why a scarlet A?"

Lindsay shot him a look. "It's from a book, Jocko. You know…the thing with pages of paper bound together that you're supposed to…"

"Lindsay!" Catherine snipped. "Let's not make matters worse."

"Um…" Wendy returned to her seat and nervously tucked her blonde bobbed hair behind her ears. "Maybe we should talk about future expectations. For instance…Ryan and Sean were never told they couldn't have girls in their rooms. Now that I've made that clear, it won't happen again. Isn't that right, Ryan?"

"Absolutely positively…" He glared at Lindsay. "No chicks allowed…because they just cause a nice guy trouble."

**Nordstrom  
****4:47 p.m. **

Dr. Sylvia Myers was wandering through the dress department at Nordstrom when she heard her pager sound. Pulling it out of her purse she scrolled through text display.

I'm feeling Almond Joy! Greg 702-555-1629

With her cell phone in hand the doctor headed for the woman's lounge, punching in her frantic patient's phone number.

"This is insane!" Greg yelled into the phone upon answering.

"Where are you?" She took a seat on the plush sofa.

"San Marino. She made me come here without her. Without her!" he yelled in frustration. "She **knows** I have a ring and a proposal planned and she made me come here without her and do you know **why**!"

"**Calmly **tell me."

"She wants me to have sex with Becca!"

The doctor raised a brow. "**That's **what she came home and told you to do?" It certainly wasn't what she suggested.

"Yes! My girlfriend, who is pregnant with my children, wants me to sleep with Becca and coincidentally, Becca wants me to sleep with Becca, but Becca doesn't know I have a pregnant girlfriend who I'm planning to propose to this weekend. I realize this would be just swell for some guys, but it has me losing my mind. Since when did my life become a freakin' soap opera? I'm supposed to be at her place at six o'clock. That's an hour from now. How the…no…no way…I don't care what Tawny wants, I'm canceling. I have to cancel. **I'm canceling**!"

"What are you afraid of, Greg?" When he didn't reply she said, "Hello? Did you lose your wireless connection, or your nerve to answer that question honestly?"

"Here's the problem…" He reluctantly confessed, "I…um…when Becca was talking to me on the phone earlier, I got…um…" Lowering his voice he whispered, "…aroused."

"I'm sorry…I couldn't hear that last word." She pressed the phone harder against her ear.

"**Aroused!" **

Yanking the phone away Dr. Myers winced then returned the receiver to her ear.

"I'm afraid if I see her it will happen again and I don't want it to happen, because I love Tawny. I want Tawny. She's the only one I want for the rest of my life…which I predict will be really short if my heart rate keeps skyrocketing. I want to marry Tawny. I want to raise our babies under the same roof. I don't want to be a weekend dad and I don't want my kids to split their time between two houses because my friend Robbie grew up like that and it sucked. I don't want any of that confusion for my kids. That's why I don't want to see Becca." In a distant voice he said, "Because if I see Becca…she has this way of…you know, I told you…and what if there really is some kind of undeniable chemistry…what if something happens?"

"Do you mean sex **or **do you mean that you'll suddenly think you've been forcing the idea of Tawny as your perfect match?"

"That…both…but particularly that last one because…um…it's really hard for me to say this…the truth is, if Becca made this same move **the day before** I met Tawny it would have felt like I won the lottery. But now Tawny feels like winning the lottery. But what if…even though I don't want it to…what if it still feels like winning the lottery when I see Becca?"

"It's certainly a possibility, Greg but so are the other ones we discussed. What if you go there and you realize that Becca isn't the same girl you once thought she was? That the fantasy of your youth isn't the reality you want in your future? What if spending time with her makes you realize that Tawny really is your perfect match and you walk away from Becca feeling not just content, but absolutely certain about your decision to marry Tawny? Wouldn't that be terrific?"

"That's the **only** reason I agreed to do this when Tawny asked…not that I told her that was the reason. I just grabbed my bags and walked out…like an ass…because I was in shock…but mostly because I was pissed that she's putting me in this position and now that I think about it…I'm still pissed!"

"Deep breath." After popping a mint into her mouth the doctor intuited, "I know you want a guarantee that it will all work out nice and clean but sorry, Greg…there are no guarantees."

"I knew you were going to say that." After heaving a laborious sigh he grumbled, "I guess I should go get changed for my date with destiny."

"Greg…" The doctor was interrupted by her pager sounding. "Sorry…hold on for a moment." Grabbing it she turned down the volume and checked the message.

I think I messed up BIG! Tawny 702-555-4901

"Sorry for the interruption, Greg." The doctor set down her pager and finished her train of thought. "Approach your date with Becca like you would when processing a case...be on guard, be observant, don't make rash decisions and don't come to any hasty conclusions…gather the evidence required to make an accurate assessment."

"Okay, thanks for calling me back, I really appreciate it."

"Feel free to page me again if you need to."

"Okay."

"And, Greg…"

"Yeah."

"Since you really don't know how this will play out…please…please…**please**, stop at the store before you see Becca. Don't show up at her house thinking if you don't have protection nothing will happen. There are complicated situations and then there are soap opera worthy disasters, Greg, and I don't think I need to cite an example of what can happen accidentally in the heat of the moment…especially not a moment fifteen years in the making."

"Ugh…yeah, okay…I'm in the parking lot of Ralph's. I promise I'll buy them, but I guarantee you I won't need them."

"Thank you, Greg."

"Thanks, Doc. Bye."

When she heard him hang up, Dr. Myers punched in Tawny's number.

**The Townhouse  
****4:59 p.m. **

Mindlessly staring at the soap opera on TV while she waited for Dr. Myers to return her page, Tawny busied herself catching tears one by one as they plunked from her eyes.

Finally the cordless phone rang and she hurried to click the TALK button. "Thanks for calling back, Dr. Myers."

"What's going on, Tawny?"

Watching the characters on the TV screen she explained, "Fawn just got her heart broken! Carson loved Destiny since elementary school but Destiny married Trevor when she thought Carson was dead. Then she found out that Carson wasn't really dead but it was too late because she was already married. Then Trevor got killed in a boat explosion, leaving her a widow, which would have been great but, Carson just proposed to Fawn! He proposed because when he returned from El Salvador and found out Destiny was married, he slept with Fawn without using a condom and got her pregnant. Out of jealousy, Destiny seduced Carson to get pregnant. So, now Destiny and Fawn are both pregnant with Carson's babies and…"

"Tawny…" The doctor interrupted. "Who are you talking about?"

"Fawn, a girl on my soap opera who is as dumb as me." Her breaths quickened. "I told Greg to go to California without me and see Becca to get her out of his system! I even told him to have sex with her if that's what it took. How stupid was that! The man has no control over his piece when he gets offered sex from a fantasy girl. I have two babies growing inside me to prove it!"

"Just because you told him to do it doesn't mean he will," she reasoned.

Collapsing against the pillows Tawny anxiously replied, "He used to get a woody just hearing her name. He had to create a heavy duty anti-boner visual just to survive sitting next to her in English class. What guy wouldn't sleep with his high school fantasy if she threw herself at him** and** his girlfriend encouraged him? Of course he's going to sleep with her!"

"Now, Tawny…I never told you to send Greg to California with instructions to sleep with Becca. I told you to suggest to Greg that when you get to California that he should have **lunch** with her. What happened?"

"I didn't think lunch would be a strong enough test so I suggested what Fawn did…tell him he could have sex with her to get over her, but not expect him too, but that was **before **I knew Carson would actually go all the way with Destiny, get her pregnant and dump Fawn!"

In frustration Dr. Myers prodded, "Let me get this straight…you're ignoring your therapist's advice and doing what people on a soap opera do?"

"When you say it like that it sounds even more asinine." She sniffled loudly, took a deep breath and rambled, "I had this silly idea in my head that Greg would go see Becca, she'd throw herself at him and after kissing and groping each other for a little while he'd realize that she doesn't do it for him like I do. Then he'd suddenly he'd snap out of the trance she's had on him for fifteen years and he'd rush out the front door to call me. With conviction he'd say that he absolutely knows without a doubt that I'm the **only **woman on the planet who could possibly make him happy for the rest of his life because if his old fantasy girl couldn't do it for him like I do, no one else will! Kind of like an accelerated womanizing plan since Greg hasn't sown a fraction of the oats most guys do. You know…Greg's a genius overachiever, so I figured what took Nick fifteen years to figure out will only take Greg fifteen minutes."

"Oy vey."

Sighing she dropped her head in her hands. "What was I thinking? Happy endings never happen for me. Help me, Dr. Myers….please. What should I do?"

"Okay, first things first…pick up the remote and click off the TV. You need to stop watching soap operas while you're pregnant and hormonal."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****5:45 p.m. **

After knocking lightly on her son's bedroom door, Jillian increased the volume. "Nicky…" Checking her watch she decided Carrie would have a fit if she let her sleep any longer. "Son…I'm opening the door so if you're in the middle of somethin', take cover."

Through the opening she called out again. "Nicky…Carrie…you've been asleep for six hours and you made me promise I'd only let you go thirty minutes." Pushing open the door she saw them still sacked out on top of the comforter, Nick spooning Carrie so tight that Jillian could barely see her.

Seeing her son slumbering so sweetly in bed triggered Jillian's emotions over his abuse again and she thought…that's how he should have been in bed under the babysitter's care…innocently sleeping, not screaming for his mother to rescue him. Swiping away a tear Jillian approached the bed with a feigned smile, ready once again to honor her son's request for normalcy.

Leaning over she decided to rouse him the same way she had every morning before school, running her fingers through his hair and sweetly whispering, "Nicky…your brother's gonna eat all the bacon if you don't get a move on."

"Mmm…" Gently he stirred but his eyes remained shut. "Ten more minutes, Mama."

Upon hearing his usual response, Jillian stifled her laugh with her palm. "Son…" She gave him a light shove. "I'm really afraid you've suffocated your fiancée and supper's ready."

"Huh?" Rolling onto his back Nick's eyes flapped open. When he saw his mother and got his bearings he smiled wide. "Did I miss the big game?" he jokingly asked like he always did as a kid because he had done it once when in a sleepy haze and from then on he and his mother made it a running joke.

While watching him stretch Jillian replied with her trademark line, "Yes, but don't worry, your brother caught all the touchdowns. If you hurry though…you can still catch the mayor giving him the key to the city."

"Somethin' smells good," he remarked after laughing at the nostalgic moment.

Sitting on the edge of the bed she smiled. "That would be Chicken Cordon Bleu. I went to the market while you were sleeping and did some proper grocery shopping for you domestic misfits." Pointing at Carrie she remarked, "That girl sleeps like a log. Did she come that way or is it a conditioned response because of your snoring?"

"Lucky for me she came that way."

Shaking her head Jillian teased, "Looks like you drooled on her too."

"See, that's why I had to sleep with her before I proposed…it wouldn't have been fair to surprise her with my annoying sleep habits on our honeymoon. You should know, Counselor…**full disclosure** is the key to a binding a contract."

Carrie finally stirred to the sound of Nick and his mother laughing heartily. "Mmm…what time is it?"

"Almost six."

"What!" Carrie bolted from the bed. "I'll never get my work done!"

"My goodness she's a nimble thing." Jillian stood and informed the panicked woman, "Relax, Sugar, I have two thirds of your To Do list completed and Chicken Cordon Bleu for supper."

Clutching her chest Carrie slowed to a pant. "Really? You did my work for me?"

"You should double check it though because I may be a little rusty. And there were a few Nevada-specific things I wasn't sure of so I highlighted."

"Thank you." Carrie threw her arms around Jillian. "For helping me, but most of all for the Chicken Cordon Bleu…because my mom always made it when I was stressed."

Squeezing her tight Jillian said, "Then I'll make a few batches and freeze them, so you'll have some around for after rough days at the office."

The buzz of the doorbell broke up the maternal moment.

"I'll get it," Nick announced as he rolled out of bed.

"Son!" Jillian snipped, "Put a shirt on before you answer the door, it could be a Jehovah's Witnesses coming to preach."

Carrie tossed him a tee. "Or Betty Sue from down the hall, and we both know she's always hoping for a free show." When Nick left the room Carrie faked her best drawl. "Betty Sue is a fellow Texan and she just luuuuves to ask my cowboy to come over and lift heavy thangs. She's a dancer at Diamond Jake's and always seems to need Nicky's help when she's wearing itty bitty clothes and lots of glittery makeup."

"You're not worried about my boy cheatin' on you, are you?"

"Hell, no!" Carrie joked, "I'm just worried one of these days she's gonna jump him and I'll have to kick her ass because no girl let's another girl, especially from Texas, touch her man's ass…I learned that in Flagstaff," she snickered. "No, if there's one thing I know I don't have to worry about it's Nick's fidelity because…if the rumors in this city are true…he's purged every wild oat in his system at least twice with a variety of woman."

"Hey, Carrie…it's Sofia!" Nick yelled from the front door. "She needs us to review and sign our statements."

Winking at Jillian, Carrie chuckled, "Speaking of wild oat women…she's one of them, but pretend we don't know that, because he doesn't know I figured it out and he's keeping it from me because he's embarrassed. Sofia knows that I know though so it's fun."

"My goodness you're a tolerant woman." Placing her arm around her future daughter in law's shoulder Jillian suggested, "Should we invite Sofia to stay for supper? I could ask innocent questions that will make my son squirm."

"Ooh, that would be great!"

**Dr. Myers's House  
****5:55 p.m.**

"Hi, Honey," Sylvia wearily greeted her husband as she stepped out of the car.

"Rough day?" Steve stood holding open the door for her.

"I sincerely hope there's a chilled bottle of wine in the fridge."

He smiled as he opened his arms. "Gil and Sara or Greg and Tawny?"

"Tawny! Do you know what that confused, hormonal and desperate girl did?" Sylvia slipped into her husband's arms. "She totally ignored my advice and instead, mirrored the actions of some vapid soap opera character."

"Well you get to keep your fee either way," he quipped. "Sorry…bad joke and I know Tawny and Greg are special." Over the three decades that she had been practicing she always had favorites, patients she took a little too close to the heart. Now that Sara and Gil were holding steady, Greg and Tawny were the dysfunctional couple always on her mind. "What did she do?"

"Greg's dream girl from high school…"

"Becca," Steve proudly announced. "See…I am listening while I watch TV."

"Becca e-mailed Greg professing her love for him and Tawny intercepted it. Then she showed him a printout of it and told him to go to California without her and hook up with Becca to see if he would rather be with her." Outraged all over again she said, "She even gave him permission to sleep with Becca if it will help him get over her…or if it will help him decide who really is his perfect match."

Steve promptly placed his hand over his mouth.

"Just say it," Sylvia droned.

"Of course he's going to sleep with her. Every guy dreams of bedding his high school fantasy girl and now he has the opportunity **and** permission? Hello? The only way that scenario could be improved upon for Greg would be for Tawny to be in bed with them for the ultimate guy fantasy."

Sylvia sighed, "Thank you for your honest and very crass male opinion."

After kissing her cheek he led her towards the kitchen and the wine. "But this is Vegas…I'll gamble and say that Greg picks Tawny."

"Oh, I'm not worried that Greg will realize Becca isn't the girl for him." Holding her throbbing head she groaned, "I'm just not sure he's going to realize it until** after** he sleeps with her."

**712 Via Diabla, San Marino, CA  
****6:04 p.m. **

Parked in Becca's driveway, Greg sat in his car staring at Becca's multi-million dollar Spanish Colonial home, one that even put Sara and Grissom's decadent abode to shame.

After a minute, a comforting thought hit him…surely once Becca heard he was only making thirty-five grand in an entry level CSI position and couldn't even afford a condo, she would categorize him as a loser and be quickly turned off. With a smile plastered on his face for the first time that day, Greg stepped out of the car, anxious to inform Becca of his pathetic-ness.

"Hoj!" From the entryway Becca dashed to the driveway yelling, "I just peeked outside and saw you getting out of your car. Nice wheels! Quite an improvement over that beater you were driving." She couldn't believe how put together he looked with mature clothes, a killer tan and tame but stylish hair. "You're a sight for sore eyes!" she gushed before breaking into an effervescent smile. "I love your new look." Standing before him she swore he must be oozing pheromones. "Wow! I'm so glad you're here," she declared while tossing her arms around his neck.

As Becca tightened her embrace Greg remained silent and listened to the random statements pinging in his overwhelmed brain…._I only look this good because my pregnant girlfriend, the one who told me to come to California and sleep with you, bought these clothes for me and made me get the tan and change my hair. How could Becca possibly get better looking when she was already perfect? Wow…she looks stunning in that tight black business skirt and lime chemise…so sexy yet intellectual. Whoa…Tawny's boobs really are huge because I used to think Becca had a righteous set of melons but now they look like oranges…maybe even tangerines. I can't believe I'm comparing their boobs. I'm sick! I'm so…so…so…lucky…holy crap, my girlfriend told me to hook up with my high school fantasy girl and have sex with her. Some guys would give a kidney in exchange for that scenario. But not me! No! This is so…so…so…oh god…she's running her hands over my back and breathing heavy on my neck. She needs to stop that. Yeah…that has to stop…right after she does it just a little while longer because I'm so…so…so…going to burn in hell for this even though it's only a hug. But it's not just a hug. No, it's a hug initiated by my old fantasy girl because she finally wants me and that feels so…so…so…wrong!_ "**Becca**! I'm broke because I only make thirty five grand before taxes and I can't afford a condo."

Chuckling she stepped back. "I see you're still a blurter when you're tense."

"Did I say that out loud?" _Good. _

"Aww, Hoj." Becca coyly tucked sleek auburn hair behind her ears and smiled.

_Oh god…she still does that adorable little hair tuck move. _"Um…"

"It's the house, isn't it?" Sighing, she glanced up at the mini-mansion. "It's intimidating you."

_No, it's the fact that I'm in love with Tawny and don't want to be here...but now that I'm here, you're making me feel good and that's confusing as hell._ "Actually…"

"Look…I could have a wealthy, materialistic guy in a heartbeat." With her palm pressed to her heart she pumped his ego. "I admire you for following your dream and not selling out for the almighty dollar. You're helping victims get justice and making the world a safer place." While tenderly gazing into his puppy dog eyes she took his hand. "That makes you even more special to me, Hoj. And it makes me feel ridiculous for dating asshole after asshole all those years instead of going after you. I hope it's not too late."

The sweetness in her voice and eyes warmed his heart. Finally she recognized he had something special to offer her that those bums she always chose over him didn't. "You really mean that?"

"Really." Giving his hand a squeeze she sweetly ordered, "Now grab your stuff and come on inside already. I was in the middle of making a pitcher of margaritas and I still need to change out of my office clothes."

"Um…Becca." After swallowing hard he said, "There's something important you should know."

Halfway to the door she turned to face him, her giddy smile evaporating. "Oh god…you really are gay and I've been making a complete idiot of myself."

"What? No!" The old insecurity was back with a vengeance and while two seconds ago he was desperate to make her not want him, suddenly he was dying to be desirable again. "I'm hetero, I swear…really. I was just a late bloomer and I only wore the pirate shirts and the eyeliner to piss off my dad. Trust me…" He stood a little taller. "There are plenty of women in Vegas who can vouch for me" Plenty was a gross exaggeration but desperate times called for embellishment. "I'm not gay."

"Oh, yeah?" she snickered while seductively approaching. "Prove it."

"Uh…" He pointed across the street. "There's a shirtless male landscaper mowing your neighbor's lawn and even though he's sweaty and muscular, I have no desire to get his phone number." Then he realized most guys probably wouldn't notice a sweaty, muscular male landscaper, but he chocked it up to being an observant CSI.

Gliding her hands over his shoulders she chuckled hard. "I've really missed your quirky sense of humor." Brushing the tip of her nose over his she changed her voice to a sultry whisper. "But I was hoping you'd prove it by kissing me."

"Oh." Standing there, a heartbeat away from the kiss of his old dreams, Greg grappled with how to gently break the news about Tawny to this vulnerable woman and long-time friend who was going out of her way to make him feel like a million bucks. "Um..."

After a minute of near kissing, Becca ended the tortuous wait by caressing Greg's parted lips with hers.

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment Complex  
****Pool Area  
****6:11 p.m. **

Placing Nick's police statement on the patio table Sofia prompted, "I need you to read over your statement and sign it for me."

"Sure." Nick took a seat and began reading.

While staring at the old man doing laps in the apartment complex pool Sofia said, "We found out Montana was at **Sonny's **prior to heading for the park. In the interest of the case, because we were concerned that the attack wasn't random, I mentioned to Brass and Warrick that I knew you were a patron."

Looking up from the page he cringed. "Please tell me that's all you shared."

"I may be blonde but I'm not stupid."

"I haven't been there since the last time we were there," Nick stated in a defensive tone. "And I don't take Carrie there…or anywhere like that. She's not into…that."

Laughing at him she said, "Oh, so it was good enough for me but not for your fiancée, eh? I guess that makes me a kinky tramp." She left him pondering how to get his foot out of his mouth for a minute and then said, "I'm kidding…you don't need to talk you way out of that one, Slick."

Still feeling guilty he said, "I wouldn't have taken you there if you weren't into it. And if you didn't want to do it you would have said something because we both know when you get pissed off in the bedroom…you speak your mind."

"For cryin' out loud…would you relax and sign the damn statement already!" Dropping her head back against the chair she droned, "Yes, at the time I was into it and no you didn't force me…and don't look so guilty. We weren't doing anything illegal, just a shade immoral in some people's eyes."

In the words of his mother he confessed, "Definitely not somethin' I'd want people to hear about on the six o'clock news." Returning his eyes to the statement he continued reading. "And it's not like we went there plannin' it…it was a spontaneous thing."

"The first time," she chortled.

"Yeah, okay…after that it was a **very** short-lived phase."

"For both of us." she confirmed while shaking her head. "I thought of it as the experimentation I never got around to in college."

"That's funny…I thought of it as reliving my wilder college days." Chuckling, he continued reading. "Greg told me he set you up with Irving. He shaves his head…I bet that won him a point with you."

"Absolutely." Sofia laughed at the memory of severely intoxicated Nick letting her shave his head when he lost a bet. "I have tomorrow off. We're going hiking in the mountains. He's outdoorsy…you know that's another point."

"Carrie and I hiked down a couple of miles in the Grand Canyon on vacation, it was great. She's real outdoorsy too." Grinning, his thoughts turned to Carrie celebrating peeing in the woods and 'roughing it'…before whipping out her mango hand sanitizer and whining that she got mud on her new boots.

"Hey, Nick…since we're speaking on a personal level here, I'm going to say that I personally don't think two weeks will be enough time off for you…not after last night."

"Thank you for your concern and I agree." Nick signed off on the statement and glanced up at Sofia. "This morning I left a form on Jim's desk asking to tack on a third week since I have plenty of time on the books." He would be using it to investigate Shelly.

Taking the statement she nodded, "Great. Now send your fiancée out here for me so I can tell her all about the good times to be had at Sonny's. Who knows…maybe when she hears how much you enjoyed your time there she'll want to go with you and partake." Teasingly she needled, "You never know, she could be into…that."

"Firstly…I know you're shittin' me about telling her." Laughing hard he stood. "Secondly, all of my adventures with Carrie happen in private and without third party participation because…" Placing his hand over his chest he said, "I'm a one woman guy from now until the day I die."

**The Grissoms  
****6:15 p.m. **

Sitting at the kitchen table, Gil shuffled his fork around his salmon salad while working up the nerve to broach what he knew would be a very touchy subject with Sara.

"Did you hear the temporary shift plan?" Sara asked, desperate for small talk instead of discussing Mike and assuming her husband was out of the loop as usual. "Nick won't be coming back for two more weeks instead of one."

"Yes, actually…Jim told me at some point this morning." Gil snapped out of his train of thought and into the conversation. "Apparently Nick's mother needs some help with a family matter."

"Yeah." After sipping her decaffeinated iced tea, Sara said, "Pete is supervising because Jim wants to test him out in case the Swing Supervisor position opens. Sofia has tomorrow off then starts working Days on Wednesday. Jas and I will be there and Jim is retaining two of the relief shift crew for the duration of Nick and Greg's time off…Kyle and Lynn. That should be enough coverage to dig out of some of the backlog."

"Make sure Pete knows about your maternity restrictions and you're not to work solo with this threat over your head."

"My, aren't we protective," she smiled warmly.

Gil countered, "My, aren't we too relaxed about all this."

"Come on…you don't seriously think he'd hire someone to pull something while I'm on the job, do you?"

"Actually, no, I don't." After a sip of ice water Gil said, "I think if something were going to happen it would happen here, that's why I've hired a security consultant to install some extra measures at our house. He's meeting me here tomorrow evening."

Hurt that he hadn't consulted her about hiring the consultant she snipped, "When were you planning on telling me we'll be turning our house into a maximum security prison?"

"I was waiting for the right segue." Wiping his lips with his napkin Gil dreaded the next part of the conversation. "Sara…"

"I know that tone."

He decided to just drop the bomb. "Until things are secure around here…I want us to stay with my father at the Mandalay. The only access to his suite is the secured elevator. It's a casino and there are cameras everywhere. The suites have their own security staff watching every door and hallway."

"No." Tossing her napkin on the table Sara made her case. "I won't give up my home because of that bastard. You know what having a home means to me."

"Sar…"

"No." The tension rising quickly she darted from the table to pace the living room. "This infuriates me because it's just what he wants! You know he's done his research. You know he must have found out I was in foster care since I was nine. This whole thing…the stupid greeting card threat was probably just to get us scared so we'd do exactly what you're proposing…flee our home…**my** home…the one I finally got to have after twenty-five years of not having one. He knows a home means everything to me and…"

"Sara!"

The volume of his voice startled her. "Don't yell at me." Memories of the big fight in the same location came flooding back.

"I'm sorry." He crossed the room and placed his hands on her shoulders, certain he knew what she was remembering. "You were getting hysterical and it's not healthy for the baby."

"Neither is yelling." She tossed her hands in the air. "**He** has us yelling at each other. See…that's just what he wants…he's winning."

"You're right, I'll do better." Gently he caressed her cheek. "Honey, this move…it's only temporary."

"So was every home I've ever known." She felt a familiar tremble when thinking about displacement, the same one she had experienced many times in her youth. "You know why this place means so much to me."

"Of course I do." He cupped her face. "That's why I wouldn't suggest it unless I thought it was the prudent thing to do. You can't just think about yourself, Sara." Placing his palm on her womb he zoomed in on her eyes. "You have to think about the safety of our baby. I can't let you sleep here alone until I know this place is tighter than Fort Knox. I'm sorry if I seem overbearing but it's primal instinct for me to protect my offspring."

"Sure…pull the Biology card." Exasperated, she pecked his lips and yielded. "This guy you're consulting with can make that happen?"

"He comes highly recommended by the mob."

"Oh, well…great." She tossed her hands in the air. "Look what happened to Jimmy Hoffa."

"Exactly…" Grissom brushed a kiss over her forehead. "Because Hoffa didn't hire this guy."

"I've spent all day being brave and forcing myself not to be scared and now…"

"You've always been very good at fronting."

Her lips quivering, she finally caved under the stress. "I don't want to give him power over my life."

"I know, Honey." Gil cradled her in his arms. "In the end we'll triumph, but for now…caution and a healthy paranoia is the order of the day. Or think of it this way…we'll be spending more time with my dad and Lina. Last month you would have been thrilled if I wanted to do that."

"True." Lifting her head she forced a smile. "Maybe Lina could teach me to cook a few things."

"Now you're being a little too optimistic."

Their nervous laughter dominated the room.

"Come on." Gil took Sara's hand and tugged her toward the hallway. "Let's pack."

"Don't you think you should call your dad and tell him we're coming?"

"I did while you were sleeping."

"What did he say?"

"He's nervous for us but thrilled for the quality time." At the bedroom door Gil smiled, "He and Lina have been walking on eggshells since he spontaneously introduced her as his date yesterday. I think he's grateful we're coming to help alleviate the tension."

"Well…" Stepping into her favorite room Sara sighed, "There is a very good chance that Ron and Lina will get together because Rodgers is already responsible for you and me hooking up as well as Nick and Carrie." Finding her strength she joked, "We should send him a thank you card."

"Just don't send a Hallmark because he'll think you care enough to send the very best."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

**Hello! **I hope everyone is enjoying the story. If ever you have any questions or concerns you'd like answered about the story, feel free to e-mail me through the link in my author page or leave them in a review with a link to reply to, as I can't answer them in my author's notes per the rules of this website.

FYI because someone noticed, I'd thought I'd mention...In order to maintain the T rating and/or comply with the rules of this website,I sometimes post a slightly edited version of a chapter compared to the one that is on my personal website. If there is significant impact to a chapter I will post a note at the top noting it most of the time it's just a matter of a few different words, a few chopped lines , the exclusion of a song lyric a couple of times in FS I had to take out a whole scene. The only other difference is, I post to my website and then delay posting here by a few hours to make sure any problem with the chapter (i.e. missed editing) is caught before posting here since you can't correct ASAP here.

**In the next chapter:** find out what happens after Becca's kiss; Cath and Warrick share a quiet moment; The Grissoms move into the Mandalay and Sara gets a Ron and Lina update; Mama Stokes and Carrie are happy to give Nick some of that normalcy he's craving; and a phone call really tweaks someone. **Posting: Friday morning**

Thanks as always for reading and reviewing. Thank you to: ChickieBaby,SouthernCSILover, Mrs. Fitzgerald, Moia, Golden Grasshopper, Misty J and katiegsr for reviewing and sharing your thoughts! If you had a question and had an email address on your page I replied. :-)

Maggs


	7. Chapter 7

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 7**

**August 29, 2005  
****Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****6:27 p.m. **

Initially, Nick was ticked when Carrie invited Sofia to dinner, but once he saw how grateful his ex sex buddy was for a home cooked meal he was glad that she stayed. It never dawned on him that her brother's suicide had torn apart Sofia's family and that her mother blamed her for not preventing it. Family was a thing of the past for her and his newly acquired knowledge about Sofia reminded Nick that everyone had a little something they kept hidden.

Sitting there alone at the table full of chatty women, Nick wondered if Michelle Anson Travers was in Naperville dining with her husband tonight and acting like she didn't have a secret…a dirty little secret she kept hidden from him and the world…one that she wouldn't get to keep much longer.

"Nicky…" Jillian elbowed her boy. "Care to join in the conversation? Surely you and Sofia must have an interesting story or two from your time spent together…working in the field."

The phrasing of his mother's statement momentarily caught him off guard. "Uh…well…I'm not talkin' because the three of you have the conversation covered." He set his fork across his empty plate. "It's like being back at the ranch for dinner when dad's out of town…just me surrounded by all that estrogen."

"How sweet." Jillian smiled. "You think of Sofia like one of your sisters."

Carrie choked on the sip of iced tea she just swallowed. "Okay…game over. We've teased him enough."

"What?" Nick looked at the three laughing women.

Placing her hand over Nick's, Carrie confessed, "I know about your ancient history with Sofia and she knows I know…and your mom knows because I told her. I figured it out last week at Wendy's when the two of you were so snippy to one another. We decided to have a little fun with you."

"Oh." Clearing his throat Nick said, "Y'all really stink you know that." Laughing at himself he stood ready to grab his plate and head to the kitchen for seconds. "Damn…my own fiancée yanking my chain..."

"Awww…yeah…about that..." Carrie lifted her glass of wine. "Sorry, Sweetie but I asked why you were so cranky when it came to Sofia a bunch of times and you always skirted the subject, but when I asked **her** if the two of you had a thing at one time she told me the truth. You deserved the ribbing."

The door buzzer caught his ear. "This time I really hope it is a Jehovah's Witness because y'all could use a lecture on salvation." After looking through the peephole he grinned. "Woo hoo…even better. Right here's your karmic punishment, Carrie." Upon opening the door he beamed, "Howdy, Betty Sue…what can I do you for this evenin'?"

"Hey there, Handsome." She winked, smiled and posed like a Playboy pinup girl against the door frame. "I bought me a new TV…one of those fancy plasma ones, and I was fixin' to hang it on the wall but…"

Jillian craned her neck to catch a glimpse of the naughty neighbor Carrie had described. "You're right…she's barely wearing any clothes."

"Damn…what size are those melons?" Sofia asked while peering down at her meager breasts. "Cowgirl's boobs make Tawny's look small."

**The Townhouse  
6****:36 p.m. **

Six hours. Lying in bed staring at the clock on Greg's nightstand, Tawny realized that's how long it had been since Greg bolted out the door.

Six hours without a word from him. Not since Greg was trapped in the basement by Tucker Mifflin had they gone that long without speaking.

She knew it took four hours to get to San Marino and wondered how he had been spending the two since then. Was he driving around? Was he with her? Had Becca already won?

Her gut told her something was happening. Her head told her it was the end of her happiness. But her hopeful heart clung to the dream that Greg would return to her arms and their love would be even stronger than the one they had when he walked out the door.

**Becca's**** House  
****6:47 p.m. **

Locked in the bathroom, Greg stared at his reflection in the mirror and wondered how things had gone this far. It was supposed to take fifteen minutes to face Becca, decline her offer and be on his way to happily ever after with Tawny. Instead, forty-five minutes later he was naked and feeling horribly guilty.

"Hey!" Becca knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you sure you're just changing into your swimsuit in there? I know I made you tense when I kissed you in the driveway, but you don't have to hide, Hoj. I was hoping that drink you had calmed you down a bit."

_After fifteen years of wondering what it would feel like to have Becca's pouty lips pressed to his, Greg finally had his answer…fantastic. They were as soft and sweet as he always imagined they would be and he quickly got lost in the overdue kiss that, until now, had only occurred in dreams. _

_But, a minute into the kiss, Greg realized he was ready to leave the past behind, so he broke the amorous moment by lightly gripping Becca's shoulders and gently pulling away. The guilt already festering, he waited until her eyes fluttered open, then said in a broken whisper, "Becca, I'm sorry. This…" _

_"Oh!" She covered her tingling lips with her palm. "I swore I wouldn't rush anything and here I am jumping you in the driveway. You look totally freaked out. Please…can we just pretend that didn't happen?" _

_"Absolutely," he said with relief in his voice. "Because…" _

_"Saved by the beep," she joked when the pager on her waistband went off. "Grab your stuff and I'll finish the margs while I make this call." _

Outside the bathroom door Becca teased, "Hoj, are you doing something in there to make you less tense…like you used to in high school?"

Grabbing the conservative marina blue Eddie Bauer swim trunks Tawny had packed so he wouldn't look quirky in front of his dad at the country club, Greg asked, "Uh…what do you mean?" Next he fished out a t-shirt from his bag and tossed it on.

"I was kidding. Just get your ass out here already." When he finally emerged she handed him the large margarita glass. "Round two. I made this batch a little stronger since you don't have to worry about driving home tonight." Winking, she playfully said, "Because you can sleep it off on my couch."

"Right." Taking the drink he explained, "Sorry I kept you waiting, I was checking voicemail and had to call in on a case. I didn't want you to hear the gruesome details so I stayed in the bathroom." It was a necessary lie because telling her the truth…that he was in there feeling guilty about kissing her even though his girlfriend told him to, wasn't going to cut it.

Walking down the hall towards the kitchen she inquired, "How do you talk about corpses and grisly murders all the time without falling into a deep depression?"

"Sometimes it's…"

"Oh!" Rushing over to the fridge she buzzed with excitement. "Check this out!" She grabbed an invitation off the stainless steel door. "Speaking of depressing…Howie Green is getting married!"

"No way." Greg looked at the fancy parchment invitation. "In high school the poor guy was voted most likely to die alone in his apartment and be discovered by a neighbor." He always felt sorry for him because Howie was even more pathetic with women than him.

"He's still a total dweeb but…he's a plastic surgeon now and since his practice is even more successful than Peter's, I'm sure his bank account is anything but depressing." Dipping her finger in the frozen margarita Becca said, "You should see his fiancée, Bebe." She rolled her eyes while stirring her drink with her finger. "Staci and I call her Miss Stripper Tits because rumor has it that she used to dance at some sleazy gentleman's club. Apparently she met Howie when she went in to get a little work done. Ugh…I guess he slipped enough money in her g-string and promised her a lifetime supply of silicone so the tramp agreed to marry him."

Gripping the stem of his margarita glass Greg listened in horror.

"Can you imagine the look on Howie's mom's face when he brought her home instead of the demure Jewish girl Myra always dreamed of for her son? But since Myra's name is on the invitation, I guess she's not protesting the match." Shaking her head she sighed, "To make matters worse, they look horrible together because he's what…five five tops and a hundred pounds soaking wet? Bebe is five ten in heels and her one-hundred pound chest comes right to his face…but I suppose that's why Howie likes her because he's obviously not marrying Bebe for her intellect. Since she had to take her clothes off for money you know she's a brainless bimbo with no education." Waving the invitation she said, "Maybe I can coerce you into being my date for the freakshow…believe it or not, it's being touted as the social event of the season."

Without realizing it Greg had downed the entire margarita. Then he recalled Dr. Myers advice not to drink until he had his mental health straightened out. "I'd like another," he announced while pointing to the blender. Then he remembered he hadn't actually gone into McDonald's to get food when he stopped earlier and the only thing he had in his stomach were the two candy bars he inhaled that morning. "Fill it to the rim, thanks."

After topping off their glasses Becca tossed the wrap she had over her sexy black thong bikini and headed for the back door. "Let's relax in the Jacuzzi."

For a moment he was mesmerized by the formerly off-limits ass he always dreamed of seeing and caressing.

"Hoj!" she yelled from the patio. "Ready to take the plunge?"

"Uh…" Clutching his drink like a security blanket he stepped onto the patio. "Wow…this yard and pool area makes my parents' look small and theirs is huge." _Small talk is good. _

She raised her glass. "Because Peter had the maid…I got the house. Serves the bastard right. I'm going to remodel everything so it doesn't remind me of him. I hired the best decorator in LA. He's a total flamer so you know he'll be awesome. He costs a fortune but, hey…that's what the ex's money is for, right?"

"You still sound a little angry over the divorce," Greg stated in between generous gulps of his frozen drink.

"The pain is gone but the embarrassment is still there." After a quick sip she put down her drink and said, "But, Hoj…I don't want get depressed tonight. Tonight I just want to forget everything stressing me out… forget I'm a grown up with responsibilities and just have fun. I need it. I had a shit day at the office and then…you heard me on the phone…my friend Priscilla pages me to call her and when I do, she goes on and on about her new guy when she knows I'm still licking my divorce wounds. I'm just tired…I feel crushed under the pressure of life." Sighing she headed for the Jacuzzi. "Have you ever felt like that?"

"Oh…I've had a few bad days." He tossed his t-shirt to join her in the hot water. "And if I had known how hard things were going to be as an adult, I would have done a hell of a lot less complaining in high school. About a week ago I was working this case and things got…"

"Mmmm…how's the temperature for you?" Submerging her body up to her shoulders she moaned with pleasure.

"It's hot as hell in here," he answered while taking a seat across from her. She had just used her wet hands to slick back her hair and looked ready for a sultry Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoot.

"But is it good?" she asked while raking him over with her brilliant blue eyes. Snuggling up next to him she coyly whispered, "Tell me…is this better or worse?"

"It's too soon to tell," he cryptically replied.

"Let's get rid of some of that tension you're obviously still feeling even after two drinks." Placing her hands on his shoulders she kneaded his muscles with her fingers. "Wow…you really are knotted." She worked a little harder.

"I've been stressed at work," he answered. "But I won't bore you with the gory details."

Smoothing her palms over his skin grafts Becca remarked, "Dr. Dan is going to be thrilled when he checks your scars this summer."

Greg chuckled, "You mean when he inspects me poolside and calls everyone over to see his handiwork." Dr. Dan White was a close family friend of his parents. After the lab explosion he flew to Vegas at his parents' request to consult and then later, when Greg was well enough to fly to California, Dr. Dan handled all the necessary cosmetic procedures. "Um…" The tequila and her hands were both working their magic and he momentarily lost focus. "Wow…that feels…"

"How does it feel?" she asked with her lips grazing his earlobe. Grinning, she decided to evoke some memories. "Did you ever have this fantasy when we were in our teens, Hoj? All those times we were in your parents' hot tub, did you ever drift off and imagine my hands all over you?"

"Yes," he answered honestly.

Lingering her mouth on his ear lobe Becca whispered, "Did I do more than massage your shoulders in the fantasy?" Sliding around, she straddled Greg's lap. "Remember that day we were playing Boggle in the living room and your mom came home and went nuts because she found a wet spot in your bed and thought we had sex?" Giggling lightly she asked, "Were you running the Jacuzzi fantasy in your mind when you were playing handball before I came over that day?"

"Uh…"

"I played dumb, but I knew why the spot was there. I also knew why you sometimes took a little too long in the bathroom in the middle of our movie nights. Aww…have I flustered you?" she asked in a pouty voice while running her fingertip over his parted lips. "You look distraught. Don't be embarrassed…everyone does it." Locking on his eyes she purred, "I thought of you last night when I was alone in bed working out a little tension."

"Uh…no…I'm not embarrassed." Dropping his voice an octave Greg answered, "Yeah, it was the Jacuzzi fantasy that day."

"Tell me all about it," she urged while gently rocking on his lap. "Every last detail so I can do it just right. Because after all these years…I really want to do it right for you, Baby."

Under the bubbles he let his hands glide over her thighs and come to rest on her hips, coaxing them to a steady grind. "We'd start in the Jacuzzi but always end up in the pool house."

Grinning wildly she ground into his lap to welcome the ultimate proof that Greg wasn't gay…not that she ever thought he was because he always snapped to attention whenever she toyed with him over the years. "Tell me what happened in the Jacuzzi to get us hot enough to run to the pool house and make love."

"This…" Crushing his lips to hers he demanded a kiss.

**Mandalay Bay  
****Presidential Suite  
****7:01 p.m. **

While Lina showed Sara to the guest bedroom in the palatial suite, Gil was standing in the living room speaking privately with his father. "Dad…when we were at the BBQ yesterday I speaking to Sara and Nick about their B-PAC charity. I know Sara glossed over her time in the foster care system, but it was very hard on her…the most difficult part being the loss of a permanent home." Slipping his hands into his pockets Gil sadly said, "She was moved around quite a bit, that's why when I bought the house for her this year as a permanent home it was a huge deal."

Ron placed a hand on his son's sagging shoulder. "And that's why having to stay here is a huge deal too. I understand. Lina and I will do our best to make this as pleasant as possible."

"But without going overboard so she feels pitied or abnormal," he clarified, knowing his wife hated feeling like a freakshow attraction because she had enough of that in school after word got out that her mother killed her father.

"Understood." Ron glanced at his watch. "What time should we expect you back from work?"

"I'll leave around midnight, come here, catch some sleep and then take Sara to work at six-thirty." He glanced toward the hallway where Lina had walked Sara and hoped Lina's motherly touch would make the transition easier on his wife.

"It's a beautiful room," Sara politely nodded. "Thank you for the fresh flowers." She sniffed the cheery mixed bouquet. "And the chocolate." She opened the box of truffles and snatched one. "I'm fine…really. You don't have to wait for Gil to come back."

Lina knew she was lying but didn't want to push. "I don't mind because all those eggshells I've been walking on around Ron are quite noisy. I'm enjoying this quiet time with you."

"Are the two of you…"

"No."

"Has he said anything since…"

"No."

"Well…if the father is anything like the son, then he'll be able to go for months without acknowledging something awkward happened between you." When she saw Gil in the doorway Sara announced, "We were just talking about you."

"I could feel the burn on my ears." Gil stepped into the room.

"I'll leave you two to get comfortable." Lina hurried out the door, closing it behind her.

Taking his wife's hand Gil gave it a squeeze. "It's cozy."

"Yeah…"

"I know it's still displacement, Sara but…there's a big difference this time." Tenderly he grazed his fingertips over her cheek. "Sure, you'll be in a strange room in a strange bed with almost no possessions but…this time you have family with you. You have a father-in-law, you have a husband and you have our baby inside you." In a soothing voice he reminded her, "It's not like before because you're not alone, Sara."

Slipping her arms around him she relaxed into his loving embrace. "You're right. I don't have my home but I still have my family."

"And I have a little time…" Taking her hand Gil led her to the bed. "How about a quick snuggle so later, when you're tired, you'll have the memory of being in this bed with me and not feel like you're here alone?"

Smiling for the first time since they arrived she said, "Do you really think that kind of manipulative psychology will work?"

"I don't know." He landed on the bed, pulling her down with him. "But what do we have to lose? The worst case scenario is I get ten minutes holding my beautiful wife."

Facing him she burrowed into his embrace. "This feels risque with your father and Lina down the hall."

He chuckled lightly. "We've never been in bed together with other people around."

"Actually…" Sara jogged his memory. "There was the time when Greg slept on our couch when he was a wreck over finding out Tawny was pregnant and was worried his life was ruined."

"I forgot about that." Gil nodded. "Thankfully he finally has his act together."

**Becca's**** house  
****7:12 p.m. **

"What happens next?" Becca's eyes were chock full of desire as Greg backed her into the pool house. After exchanging urgent kisses in the Jacuzzi they had raced there to fulfill the second half of the fantasy.

"You lose your bikini top on the way to the couch," he answered while gliding his hands over her damp body.

Without hesitation Becca unclipped her suit top and shucked it. "How's this?" At the couch she struck a seductive pose, inviting Greg to join her.

"Perfect." Blanketing her body with his Greg wasted no time enticing her with his mouth and hands and grinding against her thigh.

Burning with desire Becca moaned, "You feel a hell of lot different than you did in high school…when we'd be snuggled watching a movie and I'd feel you knocking on my back door. Damn, you had no self control, Hoj." She also couldn't believe how smooth his moves were, it was like he had professional training. In record time he had her hotter than hell. Amazed by her body's reaction, she wondered if it was really him or the fifteen years of foreplay responsible for her fierce burn.

Only swimsuit bottoms away from merging Greg rasped in her ear, "How could I not get turned on back then…I was a horny teen and you kept squirming your sexy body against my crotch."

"I loved driving you wild back then, Hoj…like you're driving me wild right now. I can't believe what you're doing to me." Frantic for more she slipped her hand into his wet trunks. "Oh yeah…second base…how often did you wish that would happen?"

"Daily," he groaned while rolling on his side to give her better access. "Why did you get me hot and bothered all those times on the couch at my parents' house only to pull away? Look at the fun we could have had."

"It happened accidentally the first time and when it did, I got such a rush from watching you squirm." On a jagged exhale she confessed, "Then I got addicted to the rush and couldn't stop doing it. The look on your face when I'd be pressed against you was priceless and you never made a move no matter how much I teased." Removing her hand from his shorts she winked. "But I'm looking for a new kind of rush with you tonight."

"Do you have any idea how all that teasing made me feel?" he asked while sliding on top of her. Immediately he began working her into a deeper frenzy by strategically bumping against the scrap of material also known as her bikini bottom.

"I bet you felt pretty god damn frustrated…like I do right now. We need to lose these suits ASAP." In his ear she seductively rasped, "This is fifteen years of foreplay coming to a head. I know I was a colossal tease but don't worry, Baby…the waiting is over and I'm going to repay you for any suffering I caused…I'll repay you all night long…all week…any **time** you want…any **way** you want. Just think how hot it will be after wanting it for so long."

"Mmm…how bad do you want it, Becca?" he growled in her ear while letting her wantonly explore his body.

"I want you so bad it hurts." Tugging down his trunks she grinned at the sight of him. "Well now…it looks like I'll be enjoying the restitution process as much as you." Reaching down she coiled her fingers around the strings of her thong bikini. "Time to make my first payment."

"Don't worry about payback, Becca." Pulling away he said, "Because I just got it on my own…which is fitting since **on my own** is where you always left me hanging."

In shock, she watched him yank up his trunks and head for the door. "Hoj! What the hell!"

In the doorway he paused, "**Now **do you have a better idea of how you made me feel all those years? How it feels to think something is definitely going to happen and then, a breath away from fulfilling the desire, the other person pulls back just to mess with your head?"

Stunned by the realization she gripped the back of the couch. "You were leading me on this whole time?"

"No, I came here to see if there really was something undeniable between us." He omitted that both his pregnant girlfriend and his therapist thought he needed to explore his feelings. "The kiss in the driveway was real because fifteen years of fantasy build up was hard to resist, and after the stress I've been under lately, it felt good to be seventeen again." Turning icy he informed her, "But whatever spell you've had over me all these years started breaking after that kiss and the last of it disappeared when I heard you say you knew why my mom thought we had sex. It **proved **you knew all along how I felt…how much I wanted you. I lived to breathe the same air as you and you **knew** it." Flashing to anger he shouted, "You just admitted you manipulated me and used me for your enjoyment, Becca. You did it for fifteen god damn years! I just did the same thing to you for fifteen minutes and you feel like shit. Do the math, you selfish bitch!"

Grabbing a nearby towel she covered her body. "I can't believe you're doing this."

"You know what **I **don't believe?" he snapped. "I don't believe for a second you were looking for something long term with me. I think you heard I was coming out for Labor Day and decided that spending time using me would be just what you needed to get back on your feet." Returning to her side he viciously tossed accusations. "I think this week was going to be the climax of your fifteen year plan. You were going to sleep with me, invite me to stay, and then on Labor Day you were going to do a little house cleaning, telling me it was nice but we both know it wouldn't work out. That wedding invite…it was bullshit and you know it. You weren't going to show up at the biggest social event of the season with me on your arm, telling everyone you're proud I make thirty-five grand because I'm helping make the world a better place. No, you're planning to get the richest, hottest, most successful guy you can snag to take you."

"I'm really sorry you think that," she weakly replied, still stunned from his ploy and the truths she knew he was telling. "But I wasn't..."

**"**I don't believe you!" he screamed while backing away. "You said you got off making me wish I could get off with you. Well, old habits die hard and I could still hear the pleasure in your voice when you were talking about it." On a roll he kept on going, "And that stuff you said about being proud of my job and not needing a wealthy guy…that was just more of your manipulative bullshit because you couldn't be more shallow and materialistic."

"Where the hell are you getting this!"

"The evidence doesn't lie, Becks!" His temper flared. "The **very** first thing you said to me was 'nice wheels' when you saw my sports car. When you were talking on the phone to your friend, you couldn't stop gushing over the diamond bracelet you just bought with your ex-husband's money. You asked me about my job, but you cut me off before I could answer. And your diatribe about Howie and his fiancée…that was the clincher. Yeah sure, they might both be users but, did you ever consider that maybe they just might be happy to have found each other in this fucked up world where self-absorbed people like you really don't give a rat's ass why some girls have to strip to make a living or why a sweet guy never has a date for Saturday night!" Realizing he was raging Greg took a deep breath then said, "One of the requirements of my low-paying job is to be observant and I've been observing your phoniness the whole time."

"Hoj…please…I'm really sorry. You're right, I'm a bitch…but calm down because I've never seen you angry and you're scaring me." Feeling vulnerable, she pulled the towel tighter against her naked chest. "The divorce messed me up and I'm bitter. I'm sorry. Maybe I…"

"Save it, okay. You needed to feel better about yourself and remembered a surefire way to do it…by making me feel like shit. Only problem is…I'm not desperate anymore so, game over. But don't worry, Becks…" In a voice dripping with sarcasm he asked the question she had posed to him years earlier…the one she had asked just two days before the prom, when she informed him that she had made up with her boyfriend and didn't need him to take her to the dance after all, "We're still buds…right?"

"Yeah…sure," she replied in a distant voice just like he used to every time she'd crushed his hopes.

"Fifteen minutes in exchange for fifteen years." Marching out the door he barked, "Since I'm a generous person I'll consider us even. See ya at the club!"

**The Townhouse  
****7:36 p.m. **

Seven hours since Greg's hasty departure, the ache in Tawny's heart started growing a little stronger with each passing minute.

Getting out of bed she decided to page Dr. Myers again, thinking a few words of encouragement would get her through the next hour or two…although she hoped it wouldn't take that long for Greg to arrive at a decision.

Before making it out of the bedroom she heard her cell phone ringing in her purse. As she yanked it out to check the display her heart skipped a beat but when she saw it was a blocked name she quickly deflated…then she panicked…what if it was Greg calling from Becca's house to say he'd be staying there?

The suspense killing her, Tawny clicked the TALK button. "Hello…"

She immediately heard Nick's voice boom through the phone. "Tawny…please don't hang up until you hear me out."

"Uh…okay." She couldn't believe how thick his accent was getting from hanging around his mom.

"I know I pissed you off."

"You did?" she asked with a lilt in her voice.

"Hell…you were angrier than a wet cat."

Her brow knitting she queried, "At the party?"

"**After** the party…when we were alone and…hell…I know you were wasted but, I'm shocked you don't remember throwing a shoe at my head and breaking that lamp, among other things. I had to pay four hundred dollars in damages to the hotel."

Her already fraying nerves splitting in frustration, Tawny yelled into the phone, "What the hell are you talking about, Nick!"

"Nick?"

Her eyes flapped open. "Who is this?"

"It's Drew, Babygirl. Damn, that was messed up…you called me by my brother's name. Did a guy named Nick piss you off too, Darlin'? You want me to kick his ass for ya?"

Of all days for him to crawl out from the rock he sleazed under, she couldn't believe her luck. "Drew? Ugh!"

"There you go…." He laughed a little harder than the time before. "I'm starting over…don't hang up until you hear me out."

"Oh, don't worry…" Her eyes narrowing she snipped, "I'm all ears." She wanted to add, 'As a matter of fact, I'll take copious notes to share with your Mama!'

"I know I shoulda told you I was married when I met you..."

Sarcastically she replied, "Yeah…that really would have been the responsible thing to do before taking me to bed and leading me on for three months with your '_I'm relocating to Vegas soon, Babygirl and we can be a real couple'_ bullshit story you gave me every time you flew into town."

"I know…I know…guilty as charged. That's why I want to make it up to you, Darlin' and propose something a little different. This morning I found out my Mama's in Vegas visiting my brother. I just wrapped up my business in San Diego so I'm gonna make a surprise stopover to pay them a visit but, that's just an excuse…it's you I really want to see. I've been cravin' you, Babygirl. I've been with a hell of a lot of women but nobody has ever rocked my world like you."

"I'm so flattered." She rolled her eyes.

"Now that we're not playin' games anymore I'll just lay the cards on the table…I think you'll see it's a better deal for you than the girlfriend thing. Here's what I'm proposing…I've got a suite at that brand new place, The Tempest, lined up for three nights. How about you pack a bag and we'll have us an extended sleepover party? Whenever I'm busy with my family you can hang out, order up room service…go to the spa…shop, do whatever you'd like. I'll arrange it so you can charge to the room and I'll leave you plenty of spending money. I'll spoil you rotten, Babygirl and we can make it a regular thing, so it would be like a relationship but only dealing with the good stuff…the fun and the loving. I even bought you a beautiful present to mark the first day of our new arrangement."

Disgusted by the offer, she played along and changed her voice to a sexy whisper, "Hmm…tell me what you bought me first, then I'll give you my answer."

"A Tiffany lace bracelet."

Faking excitement she asked, "Oooh, does it have any diamonds on it? Because you know diamonds are a girl's best friend."

"Ten thousand dollars worth, Darlin', and I can't wait to see you wearing it…**only it**."

"And what do you expect lil' ole me to do for seventy-two hours in exchange for that generous gift and all the other perks you mentioned?" As if she didn't know.

He chuckled, "I only expect your discretion and your unbridled enthusiasm for the duration of your stay. If you don't think that's a fair deal, please feel free to re-negotiate the terms of the arrangement."

Sickened by the thought of being his _beck and call girl_ she covered the phone and screamed into a pillow, "Pig! Pig! Pig!" Recovering she purred, "Well, in all honesty, I've never done this sort of thing before but…I've heard from top dancers that the going rate for a three day playdate with a woman of my caliber is ten grand per day so how about, the ten thousand dollar bracelet, the ability to charge things to your room and a five thousand dollar per day _shopping allowance_? That's what it will take to secure both my discretion and my unbridled enthusiasm. Those are the terms and they're non-negotiable."

"You've got a deal, Sweetheart. Let's see how you're feeling after this visit goes and if you'd like, we can talk about future arrangements. I could set you up somewhere nice."

Letting her emotion accidentally show, her voice cracked, "You're right, Drew…it is much better now that we're being honest about who and what we really are."

"Hey, now…" In a softer tone he advised, "I know it's not what you originally wanted from me but it's all I have to offer. Look…you're too young and beautiful to be someone's wife anyway and what you have is too good for you to be givin' it away for free. I'll spoil you rotten just like before so please don't worry things will change. I promise I won't make you feel cheap or do anything twisted…we'll have the same great time, only now I won't be lying to you and you'll have something for yourself every time we part ways."

Ready to puke from his rationalizations over why whoring was a solid career option for her, Tawny brought the call to a close. "Okay, Baby…greet me at the door with that bracelet at ten and I'm sure I'll be in the mood to give you a real big surprise. Until then…" After blowing a kiss she clicked off her phone and threw it at the wall, breaking it. "You son of a bitch!" Then she covered her mouth, feeling guilty for inadvertently calling Jillian Stokes a bitch. "Asshole!" she shouted instead. "You are **so** going to pay for asking me to be your whore."

"Ugh!" Stomping her foot she seethed, "He picked the wrong damn day to piss me off because I'm a woman on the edge, and as of today I'm living my life without taking bullshit from anybody! First I'm dealing with that sleazeball and then…it's Becca's turn, because how dare she show up fifteen years later and finally tell Greg what he's always wanted to hear. She's not going to get my man without a fight!"

**Catherine's House  
****9:17 p.m. **

After exiting the shower, Catherine saw that Warrick had remained in bed and fallen asleep again even though he had told her he was getting up to make coffee. "Hey!" When he didn't move she grabbed a nearby shoe and flung it at his back. Then she pounced. "You're the supervisor and I'm the lackey, why the hell am I being the responsible one in this scenario!"

"You make one hell of an annoying alarm clock," he groaned before breaking into a smile. "Now where is that snooze button?" Pawing her freshly showered body he started to laugh. "Wrong knob…wait…that's the wrong one too."

Frolicking ensued quickly…and so did Lindsay pounding on the bedroom door yelling, "Attention adults engaging in noisy activity! Should I bother to get my I-Pod and put on the headphones or will you be done soon?"

Catherine collapsed against the sheets. "We're consenting adults, Lindsay!"

"According to the Bible you're fornicators and you'll burn in hell. As an impressionable teen that leaves me conflicted. I guess I'll bring it up in therapy. I'm going to grab my notebook from my room so I can add it to the list so feel free to carry on your immoral activity."

Warrick covered his face with a pillow to block the laughter. "She's **so** your daughter!"

"Ugh!" Catherine threw a pillow at the door. "I tell her we have to go to therapy to work things out and now she's making a list to nail me!"

"Wouldn't you do the same exact thing if you were her?" he asked while propping up an elbow and staring her down.

"Yes!" She rolled her eyes. "Sometimes it would be so much easier if she took after Eddie and was stupid."

Swirling his fingers over her chest Warrick wiggled his brow. "Since she already busted us…you wanna fool around?"

"I don't know." She glanced at the clock. "I don't want to look irresponsible in front of my boss."

"I wouldn't worry about that…" Pulling her on top of him he pointed out, "…the boss thinks you're lookin' mighty fine and if all goes well here, he'll be showing up for work in a real good mood."

"You know me, I love a relaxed work environment…and you."

"I like this version of your wake up call much better," he whispered while meeting her lips. "I love you too, Baby."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****9:51 p.m. **

Taking a break from trial preparation for a few minutes, Carrie and Jillian relaxed on the couch reviewing wedding plans in detail for the first time.

Smiling at her future daughter-in-law Jillian remarked, "Nicky's gonna die when he sees you walking down the aisle in that heavenly dress."

"Well…I need to start working out more and eating less junk or I won't fit into it." Laughing she explained, "I normally wear a petite four, but I ordered a size two thinking I'd get in great shape for the wedding, but when I weighed myself this morning I found out I gained five pounds…I did eat a lot of bad food on vacation." Recalling the memories she listed a few. "Bread dipped in cheese Fondue, bread pudding, French fries, Cheetos, booze, ball park hotdogs, candy…yeah…I think I figured out why I gained five pounds."

Staring at a photo of the flower girl dress Jillian asked, "I was thinking Nicky put on almost ten since you two got together. Now I know why…he's snitching your carbs."

"But he pretends he doesn't." Giggling she said, "It's kind of cute."

"The problem is, the boy can't eat bad carbs without ballooning…he gets that from me. When he first moved here he gained twenty-five pounds from stuffing his face at the buffets. His carb snitching may be cute now but, it won't be when he needs an extender for his cummerbund at the wedding." Shaking her head she recalled, "My goodness, when he came home for Christmas that year his brother picked on him mercilessly for that. By next Christmas Nicky's body fat was eight percent." Patting Carrie's knee she teased, "You ever need him to accomplish something in record time, all you have to do is ask his brother to laugh in his face and say…there's no way you can do that."

When she heard the phone ring Carrie reached for the cordless on the coffee table. "Wow…talk about someone's ears burning." She showed the display. **Stokes, Drew.**

Jillian reached for the phone. "Allow me." She rolled her eyes. "It's your Mama, son."

"I know that tone. I swear I didn't do it, Mama. Whatever it is you think I've done wrong."

"Hmm…" She rolled her eyes. "Your brother isn't here. He's helping a girl in need move some furniture even though he was shot in the arm last night. But you know your brother…he's tough."

"You never told me I have another brother besides Nicky."

"Very funny."

"When I called home to check on the kids, Lissa told me you were out there visiting. I'm in Vegas taking care of business and wanted to invite you and Nick and his fiancée out to a nice dinner tomorrow evening. I've yet to meet Carrie and I'm feeling badly about that…" He chuckled, "…although it's probably a good thing because as soon as she sees me she'll realize he's a runt."

Jillian dropped her head on the back of the couch. The last thing Nick needed while working through things was his domineering brother on his case.

**The Tempest  
****Suite 1411  
****9:59 p.m. **

Standing outside the door to Drew's suite, Tawny nervously fiddled with her seductively styled hair while taking deep breaths. Wearing a flirty baby doll dress in an enticing shade of red and strappy high-heeled sandals, she knew Drew would like what he saw the moment he opened the door. "Okay…I'm ready. I can do this."

After rapping twice Tawny placed her overnight bag on the floor and waited.

Seconds later the door flew open and Drew, still wearing his black business trousers and a midnight blue dress shirt, appeared with a Texas-size smile plastered on his face. "How is it possible that you look even more gorgeous than when I saw you in July?" While she still had the youthful appearance he enjoyed, she had cleaned up to a more sophisticated, less stripper look. "Damn…you're a sight for sore eyes."

"You're lookin' mighty handsome yourself," she replied with an equally radiant smile. "I love you in your business clothes." Giggling like the schoolgirl he wanted her to be, she added, "But you know I love you out of them even more."

"Well then, why are you still standing in the hall, Babygirl? If you come in I promise I'll let you take 'em off me as fast or as slow as you'd like."

Waving her finger she scolded, "Ah…ah…ha…first things first." Batting her eyes she extended her right arm. "I want that gift you promised me on my wrist. I may be new at this, but I'm not naïve. Under this new arrangement, you have to pay the price for my admission, remember?"

Reaching into his pocket Drew said, "Sure thing, Darlin'. I was planning on giving it to you in bed but…" He produced the diamond drenched bracelet. "Do you like it? I picked it special for you."

"Wow." There was no denying it was a spectacular piece. "I love it," she feigned bliss while he fastened it around her wrist.

"And I'm gonna love having you in my bed for three days before I return to the Artic North and the Fat Ice Queen Bitch, also known as my home and my wife. Sorry, Sugar…I promise I won't bring that up again. Now where were we?" His eyes fixed on Tawny's ample chest he groaned, "Please tell me you have my favorite red leather panties on under that dress."

"Of course I do, Baby." She oozed sensuality while stepping across the threshold. "Before we…I have a confession…I'm real nervous since this is my first time as a…" After glancing over her shoulder to see who was around she whispered, "…professional call girl…and well…I hope you don't mind that I asked a friend to meet us here…someone to help me start things off right because…" Slinking closer she shyly said, "You're paying so much, I don't want to disappoint you, Drew. So, is it okay if my friend joins us?"

"Hey now, I told you there was no reason to be nervous. I may be a lyin' cheatin' bastard but I'd never physically hurt a woman or force you to do something against your will. I'm gonna be real sweet with you." Taking her hand, Drew pulled Tawny close chuckling, "…and just a little kinky, but we won't be doing anything we haven't done together before…well, maybe one thing." Sliding his hands over her ass he gave her enticing cheeks a squeeze. "But hey…I don't mind if you invite a friend because I've met some of your friends and they like to party."

Placing her palms on his chest she moaned pleasurably. "Yeah…since you wear me out every time we're together, I figured you'd have no problem handling a little more action."

Nibbling her neck he chuckled, "You've got that right. What's your friend's name, Darlin'? Was she at the party we had in my suite the last time I was in town? What does she look like?"

"Mmm…dark hair, intense brown eyes, five ten, fabulous body…" With her ruby red lips she pressed a Judas Kiss to Drew's cheek and said, "My friend's name is Nicky and I think you'll find you have a lot in common…with him."

As Tawny stepped back, Nick moved from his position flattened against the wall outside the suite and flippantly said, "You got a bracelet for me too, Stud?"

Drew stared in disbelief and uttered the first word that entered his stunned mind. "Oh shit."

Tossing her overnight bag over her shoulder Tawny winked. "Thanks for the diamond bracelet and the career opportunity…I'll only be keeping one." After hugging Nick, Tawny turned to his pig brother still standing stunned in the doorway and blew a kiss. "See ya at Nick and Carrie's wedding, Drew." And as she walked away she yelled, "I can't wait to meet your wife and show her the purty bracelet you gave me. Have a nice night!"

Staring at his morally vacant brother Nick's voice and eyes turned icy. "You make me sick."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I hope the Greg and Tawny fans didn't stop reading before the turnabout. He was following Dr. Myers orders to take some time, really be observant and make an informed decision. Although I'm sure she would have wanted him to keep his shorts on the whole time and skip the tequila. LOL but he's a guy and well…

When Greg first walked into Tweeters with Grissom back in chapter 6 of Feasibility Study and was mesmerized by the girls, Grissom said… _"You ever read The Odyssey, Greg?_" Since then, Greg has been on a journey, and facing down the Becca demon, was another piece of that journey that's still not over. So much of the story isn't about the outcome of an event (i.e. most people knew I wouldn't write him choosing to sleep with her) but what the character learns along the way or who they impact along the way. When Greg walked out of the house on Via Diabla (Way of the She-Devil) I think he was substantially more knowledgeable, not just about himself but, about other people in his life. More of this in Chapter 8…

At the same time Tawny went to confront a demon of her own, Drew (who represents all the cads she fell for over the years) to say I won't be disrespected and underappreciated anymore. She took 'a friend' to help and the Laws of Motion are in full force as Tawny walks away and Nick steps in and thanks to Tawny (just like Greg), Nick is about to see a person he has worshipped for years in a whole new light.

Sara's journey also continues as she starts to realize her biggest fear, losing her home, was only symbolic for losing her family.

I hope you enjoyed the peek into the Willows/Brown household…their journey is just beginning.

**Next chapter**…it's a stormy night and things get a little intense. **Posting:** Tuesday (due to the U.S. Labor Day holiday weekend and the need to BBQ and party LOL)

I hope everyone has a good weekend! And my thoughts go out to anyone caught up in the aftermath of the U.S. hurricane disaster. Hang in there!

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts,

Maggs


	8. Chapter 8

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 8**

**August 29, 2005  
****The Tempest  
****Suite 1411  
****10:09 p.m**

As the door slammed, Drew strolled through the suite shaking his head. "Well this night is turning out a bit different than I had planned." From the coffee table he grabbed the chilled bottle of Cristal from its bucket and took a swig. "Sorry…where are my manners, Nicky?" He grabbed a glass and extended it. "Would you like a drink?"

His disgust mushrooming Nick replied, "Sure." And when his brother handed him the glass he promptly hurled its contents at Andy's face and threw the glass at the wall.

"You're still such a friggin' girl," Drew remarked while wiping his face with his sleeve. "Hitting me square in the jaw would have been the proper choice there. Will there **ever** come a time when I'm not educatin' you on how to be a man?"

Stuffing his arms across his chest Nick explained, "I threw the drink on behalf of Tawny but now that I think about it, she probably would have rather I kicked you in the balls. Where do you come off coercing her into prostitution? I'm LVPD and witnessed you soliciting. I could have you arrested. And, on another note…you're nearly twice her age and all that Babygirl talk…you're disgusting."

"Would you please take off your superhero cape for minute and listen to me?" Drew relaxed his stance. "First off…she was twenty-one when I met her, I checked her ID to make sure so, don't accuse me of being a pervert. Lots of men bed, date and marry significantly younger women, surely you must know some."

Nick postured. "There's a difference between being with a younger woman and wanting her to play your baby girl. Today twenty-one is your limit, what's it gonna be next week?"

"Now you're the one with the sick mind." After a gulp of champagne Drew continued, "I assure you I wasn't the only one making a move that night at the Strip Club when she was grinding into my lap in the VIP room and believe me…she didn't mind me calling her Babygirl when I was stuffing a couple of c-notes in her g-string. She liked the wad of cash in my hand, she liked what she saw, and **she** wanted to party just as much as me. So let's be realistic, Nicky..." He paused for another swig. "The girl rode me like a pro the first night I met her in exchange for nothin' but sweet talk and room service. I felt guilty lyin' to her about being single and takin' it for free, so tonight I made it clear I'll never be her boyfriend, then I offered to compensate her. Now I don't know your history with her but, trust me…she was a whore well before my dealings with her tonight."

After Nick's fist connected squarely with Drew's chin he snapped, "That's from me, in case you were wonderin'. Now shut your god damn mouth about Tawny because you don't know shit about her."

Bringing his fingers to the impending bruise Drew laughed. "Wow…is that really all you've got?" Crossing the room he brought the bottle to his lips and then plopped on the couch. "Is Tawny another one of your special projects, Nicky? Like that prostitute you were trying to save who almost got you thrown in jail for life? Is Miss Tawny Cooper playin' Mary Magdalene to your Jesus Christ this month?" Shaking his head he sighed, "You always took Sunday School a little too seriously. You spend so much time helping the disenfranchised at work and after hours you've become disenfranchised yourself…living in a tiny apartment. Shit…you can't even afford to buy a proper house before you marry. You grew up not wantin' for a thing, so how can you be content starting a family without a decent roof for your wife and future children?"

Laughing out loud Nick asked, "Are you serious? **You **are telling **me** what it takes to be a decent husband and father when you're screwin' other women and ignoring your kids? Call me delusional but…I really don't think the size of the roof they're livin' under matters as much as your disrespect for them."

"Well, you're wrong there, Nicky." Drew tossed his feet on the table. "Lissa knows about the women. I started sleeping with them when she stopped sleeping with me. She won't divorce me because of the pre-nup she signed. There are only two reasons listed that entitle her to anything…physical abuse and public humiliation. Other than that, if she walks away she does it with the clothes on her back and without the kids unless I say otherwise. She has a high school degree and she can't model anymore because she let her body go to hell. What's she gonna do? Sling fries at Mickey D's?' He took another swig. "I can't ask for a divorce because you know the rule…Stokes men marry for life. So she gets to keep her showy lifestyle and I get to screw other women." Raising the bottle he said, "That, my brother, is the mutually agreed upon reality of our marriage situation."

While he digested the latest shock, Nick remained silent.

"I know this is an awful lot of growing up for you to do in one night but, you need to learn most people operate in the gray. Your black and white world full of rules and regulations is really quite an exception."

"You know…" Exhaling some of the disgust Nick said, "You're right…it's not my place to get in between a husband and wife who mutually consent to ignore their wedding vows."

Drew smiled warmly and stood. "That's right." He stepped around to face his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"However…" Nick brushed Andy's hand off him. "Your children are part of my family and I feel quite comfortable telling you that I think you're a lousy father for ignoring your kids so you can mess around. I heard you say you didn't want to go home to 'The Artic North' and it may be because of your 'Ice Queen Bitch' wife but your kids are living in the same place, are they not? So I feel very justified in saying that whatever shit-life you and Melissa have decided is okay for you, isn't okay for those kids. To use your words…you grew up without wanting for a thing…**including** two parents who provided a stable environment for their children. How can you turn around and give your kids less than what you had?"

"To use your words…" He guffawed, "Are you serious?" Drew stuffed his hands on his hips. "As a father what **exactly** am I doing differently than Dad? I'm working my ass off to provide for my kids and when I'm home I'm into it. I take them for pony rides and for walks in the stroller. I read them bedtime stories and kiss their boo-boos. They're little, Nicky, there's only so much I can do. When they grow I'll be just like dad playing the weekend hero…tossing balls and going to Father-Daughter Scout dances. My children live in a house that's paid for, they have financial accounts with prep-school tuition money and college funds. They're set for life, I can give them whatever they need or desire. Are you going to be able to say the same when your first kid is born?"

Miffed, Nick simply said, "I don't get how you ended up this way. It's so different than what we knew."

Setting the champagne bottle down on the coffee table Andy replied, "And I don't know if you're having memory problems or what but, Dad wasn't home until after we went to bed during the week and Mom…hell…if anything…my kids have a better parenting environment because they have a mother who is home with them instead of being tended to by nannies and babysitters. Not to sound insane for defending the woman I can't stand to come home to but…Lissa may be a horrible wife but she's a damn good mother."

"Yeah…okay…whatever, I'm going." His blood pressure rising Nick headed for the door. "You're a real piece of work."

"Too much gray for you there, Bro? Or do you just like to remember your childhood as all lollipops and gumdrops?" Drew called after him. "Hey! How about we bring all of this up again after you've been married to Carrie for five years and see what's what? Yeah…I'll be curious to see how a hound dog like you holds up down the road when your woman is freezing you out in bed and packing on the pounds. I've seen pictures, Carrie's a gidget…twenty extra pounds on her and you'll be keeping the lights off. Eventually, when you slip it to someone else…I'll expect an apology then."

"Don't** ever** disrespect Carrie!" Nick blasted after ramming Drew into the wall.

"Hell yeah! Now he's pissed! I knew tweaking you about your woman would do it," Drew spat while shoving Nick off him and sending him crashing onto the couch. "Okay, runt, here we go…you've been waiting for this moment your whole life…give it your best shot. Gentlemen's rules…no cheap shots." Rolling up his sleeves he waved him on. "You're five years younger but, I'm still five inches taller and have thirty pounds of muscle on ya…plus I have a reputation as your big brother to protect."

"True but…" On the edge of the couch and his patience, Nick focused his energy into his legs to spring forward. "…you should never underestimate decades of pent up rage." After a quick bob to the right, Nick landed a hook to his brother's cheek. "I'm gonna pay you back for every time you messed with me," he shouted during a flurry of punches.

Two solid retaliatory punches later Drew yelled, "And I'm going to give you the same lesson I did every time you tried to prove you weren't weak…" He landed another firm blow. "I'm gonna prove that you are."

"You can try." He fought back with a vengeance, getting a running start and tackling Andy into the well-stocked bar and sending all the glassware and bottles flying.

"You're much better than last time we conducted this exercise in futility," Drew laughed before grabbing Nick and crashing him into the wall.

"Yeah….how's this!" Turning, he threw a few jabs.

Unfazed by the punches Drew nodded. "Okay, that was your head start…now I'm gonna put both dogs in the ring and you're going down." He followed up his threat with a harsh series of blows, the last of which sent his brother crashing to the floor.

On the carpet, Nick spat the blood that was in his mouth and saw that his stitches from the previous night had opened.

Walking towards the TV Drew commented, "I'll be over here checking the scores while you're channeling some more of that pent up rage you mentioned." Grabbing the remote he sighed, "Because I know you won't have the sense to stay down…you never did."

**Tawny's**** Ford  
****10:20 p.m. **

As Tawny drove home from The Tempest, rain poured from a stormy sky while tears did the same from her eyes. The city hadn't seen rain in weeks and like the dry ground needed the relief, Tawny needed the release as she dropped her facade.

When facing Drew she had appeared tough just as Nick directed her…_ you have to promise me you'll stay strong or we won't do this. You can't **ever** let my brother know you're dying on the inside. You have to hold it together. That means you don't let him hear it in your voice and you don't shed a tear until he can't see you. Trust me…you don't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he hurt you because he thrives on it. _

**The Tempest  
****Suite 1411  
****10:21 p.m**

While Drew was flipping through the channels for ESPN, Nick jumped to his feet and charged him.

"I knew it," Drew commented in a laugh as his brother tackled him. "Maybe today will be the day you finally learn." He accentuated his point by tossing Nick into an accent table displaying a sculpture.

Their rage equally matched, the fighting quickly intensified and the suite décor continued to suffer…a vase of flowers and a smashed coffee table the next victims.

"I'll be damned, you broke my nose!" Drew shouted as blood ran down his face.

"Looks like you'll be the one learning a lesson today, Bro," Nick snarked as he shook out his right hand.

"You think so, huh?" While he distracted his brother, Drew stealthily pounded a left hook into Nick's face. "You haven't learned shit," he yelled as Nick hit the floor. "That's the same move I took you out with the last time we rumbled. Now do your face a favor and…" The unexpected sound of the suite's front door flying open grabbed his attention

"Party's over boys," the first of two hefty security guys barked as he marched into the room. "I'm Lenny, and my pal Brutus and I are here to show you the door."

"We're cool!" Drew announced while standing to greet the muscular giant. "We're done and I'll pay for the damage."

Ignoring the man, Lenny grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back. "How dare you trash Mr. Braun's new hotel."

"Get your god damn hands off me!" Drew fought to get his arms free, but tired from the match with Nick and out-muscled by the enormous man, it was pointless.

"Cops are waiting for you outside. You can settle your bill after a trip to the station."

The second burly henchman grabbed Nick by the shirt collar, yanked him to his feet and out the door.

Still dazed from his brother's brutal punch, Nick couldn't walk. "Could you…slow…"

Dragging Nick down the hall to the service elevator Brutus laughed, "Don't worry, little fella, I'll carry you."

Lenny and Drew entered the private employees-only service elevator first and while Lenny held open the door, Drew watched Nick struggling to walk. "Bro…are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Nick snarled even though he couldn't see straight. Unfortunately, at the elevator Brutus threw him down and when he landed on his back, the dizziness intensified.

Pissed at what he observed, Drew snapped, "Hey! Don't be messin' with my little brother!"

To which Brutus elbowed Lenny. "The guy was beating the shit out of him before we got there and now he's pissed I'm roughing him up."

"My brother and I are the same way," Lenny jovially explained. "I have no problem beating him within an inch of his life, but somebody looks at him the wrong way and they're payin' big."

Brutus nodded. "I once ripped a guy's arm off for touching my sister's ass."

The two men laughed until the service elevator door shut giving them privacy, then Lenny viciously slammed Drew into the back wall. "We want you, and your piece of shit brother, to get a crystal clear message…you're not welcome in Mr. Braun's hotels." He drove home his point with a heavyweight gut punch.

"Did you hear that, Little Bro?" Brutus barked to Nick, who was still disoriented on the floor of the elevator. To drive his point home, he brought the sole of his heavy steel-toe-capped shoe down to stomp Nick's body.

The sound of his brother's yelp fueled Drew to a rage. "You mother …" His words and his power play were promptly ended by Lenny's fist.

**Tawny's**** Ford Escape  
****10:28 p.m. **

On the final approach home, Tawny dreamed that she'd enter the townhouse and find a message from Greg on their voicemail. Since her cell phone was in pieces she had no way of knowing if he had called while she was at the hotel.

Upon parking in the driveway she snapped back to reality and the rain outside. Glancing over her shoulder, she checked to see if she had anything in the backseat to function as an umbrella. Noting a plastic grocery store bag she reached to get it and when she turned back around she saw a face in the window and screamed.

"Tawny!" Greg yelled as he opened the Escape's driver-side door. "Are you okay! I just got back and saw your smashed cell phone and your clothes tossed all over the bedroom."

"Greg!" She flew out of the car and into his arms. "You're here! Oh my god! You're really here!"

Holding her tight he felt her heart frantically thumping like his. "I left my car at the airport and flew home so I could get here faster…and because I was afraid to drive when I had so much on my mind." He strengthened his grip. "I love you so much and I'm not just saying it…I **know **it…I know it without a doubt."

"I hear it in your voice," Tawny whispered while savoring the much needed embrace.

"Now please hear me out." Pulling back so he could gaze into her eyes Greg confidently assured her, "I **know **you're the best thing that could ever happen to me. I know because you love me for who I am…quirks, low paying job and messed up hair included. I love you because you're compassionate and you really listen and care what people have to say. You value the people in your life and most of all, you see value in me."

For the first time, she saw the same message in his eyes that she heard in his voice.

"I **know** you love me because you encourage me when I'm down and you help me succeed. For instance…you've done so many things to prepare me to make a good impression with my dad on this trip right down to the swim trunks you bought me. Also…you want me to be the best person I can be, not the wealthiest guy or the guy with the best car…the best person on the inside. And, yeah I know I've **said** some of these things before but, now I **feel **them in my heart." His eyes welling, Greg spoke softly while framing Tawny's tear-stained face with his hands. "I **know** you're the **only **woman for me…I knowbecause of the way you hold me when I have nightmares…how you make me feel safe and loved. I know from the way your eyes light up whenever you talk about ourbabies. I know because…when you speak of our future together it's never about a big house or a fancy vacation…it's about us being happy, about our kids growing up loved." Taking her hand he brought it to his mouth for a tender kiss. "It's love what we have between us, Tawny…in its purest form. Even though our road was chosen for us, I can't imagine being on a better one. **You** are the woman I want to marry and spend the rest of my life with and when you say yes I'll be the happiest man alive."

Swooning she said, "Yes, Greg, I'll marry you."

"What? Oh!" He jumped back frantically running his fingers through his wet hair. "I'm such a blurter! I didn't mean to…actually that was a statement I made not a question because if you really go back and think about it, I said 'when you say yes', not 'will you say yes?' but I suppose the context was clear so…ugh!" He kept shaking his head. "I said all the right stuff and here we are at night in the rain caught up in this perfect romantic moment after I rush from the airport but…I don't have the ring! And **why** don't I have the ring? Because my **mother **has the ring** locked** in her **bedroom **dresser drawer. What would Dr. Myers say about** that** symbolism! I think we can guess. Unbelievable! **Unbelievable!**"

Covering her mouth Tawny couldn't hide the laugh. "I'm sorry."

"It's just…" Bursting into a smile he said, "I have this plan."

"I know...you keep mentioning that." Her smile continued to stretch.

"Let's think about this." Scratching his head Greg said, "There's no duplication, because in my plan I'm not saying those things I just said because…well, I can't explain why without ruining the surprise, but let's say the setting doesn't provide the intimacy required to say those things so…how about we consider this part one of a two part proposal?"

"Love the idea!" Exuding a new level of joy she sweetly inquired, "Can I call you my fiancé now…or do I have to wait for part two?"

"Oh." The question jarred him back to reality. "Actually... um…I was so worried about you, that when I saw you I got so caught up in the moment I forgot to…um…what I'm trying to say is…you may want to call me something entirely different when you hear what I have to tell you." Greg confessed in a broken whisper, "I was with Becca, but I swear I didn't sleep with her."

"Did you kiss her?" Tawny asked while checking Greg's eyes.

"Yes," he shamefully admitted. "You and Dr. Myers were both right…I still had unresolved feelings for her. I realized that when she kissed me. I kissed her back but, after a minute it didn't feel like the beginning of something with her…it felt like the end. After the kiss things got a little weird." He glanced down at the rain pooling in the driveway. "Tawny, I guarantee you I got closure. It's just, I'm not proud of how I got it because in hindsight it was a bit immature and it will probably just fuel her ego when she gets over the shock. I'm going to tell you what I did and I'll totally understand if you're severely pissed off."

Trying to quell her giddiness Tawny asked, "Did you lead her on by fooling around until she was so hot for you that she begged you to make love to her?"

"Uh…" Reconnecting with Tawny's eyes Greg said, "Yeah, but how did you…"

"Did you purposely let her see you had something to offer and that you know how to use it?"

"Um…" Swallowing hard he admitted, "Yeah…I did, but then at the last second I pulled up my swim trunks and told her to go to hell…although I said a lot more than that because you know I'm a talker and…" His words were halted by Tawny's frenetic kiss. When they came up for air he panted, "You're not mad I…"

"No way! She deserved it after teasing your mercilessly for years." Tawny bubbled with delight as the rain started to slow. "After being jerked around for that long, I would have done exactly the same thing in your position."

Breathing a huge sigh of relief Greg admitted, "Honestly…I'm not sure she would have understood my perspective if I approached it another way. It was clear she wasn't interested in listening to what I had to say because she kept cutting me off." Watching Tawny's smile expand he remarked, "I can't believe how happy you look." Thrilled by her glee Greg laughingly asked, "Would you have been this happy if I really did sleep with Becca and decided **afterwards** that you're my perfect match?"

Laughing with him she replied, "No, I'm pretty sure I would have kicked you in the balls and then proceeded to beat you into a stupor."

**Squad Car  
****10:37 p.m. **

In the back of the car in cuffs on the way to Boulevard Station, Drew asked his brother for the third time, "Nicky, are you sure you're okay because you don't look so good. That was…"

"I said I'm fine," he replied through gritted teeth as he stared out the window, avoiding his brother's eyes. He really wished the cops had split them into two cars and he wouldn't have to front through the pain. Unfortunately one of the cops knew him and trusted that he and his brother wouldn't cause more trouble on the ride.

"I swear I'm not messin' with you, Nicky," Drew assured him in a sincere tone. "I saw what that goon did to you and I know you have to be hurting. I would be hurting."

"That's you. I'm **fine**." Closing his eyes Nick breathed through the pain and motivated himself with a memory.

_Alone in the Junior High locker room with his brother, Nick waited for his mother to bring the car around and take him to the hospital. "I'm sorry, Andy. I'm really sorry. I know I shamed you and daddy." _

_"You bet your ass you shamed us, runt! You're not fit to wear the Stokes name on the back of that jersey!" he blasted. "I played the last five minutes of State with two broken ribs and you can't even walk off the field when you twist your damn ankle." Outraged he grabbed his brother's swelling foot and gave it a sharp squeeze. _

_Gripping the edge of the bench with his hands Nick gasped as the pain intensified. _

_"Don't make a sound, do you hear me? You make a sound and I swear I'll break it." Strengthening his grip Andy barked, "You need to learn to persevere because I'm not going to have the family name tainted every time you get your sorry ass on the field. **Work**…**through**…**the pain!** Never let them see you're dying on the inside, do you hear me, runt! Never!" _

"Nicky…" Drew moved a little closer.

"Leave me the hell alone already!" Nick snarled, using the pain to fuel his anger. "You think this is the worst thing I've ever been through. It's not! Compared to some of the shit I've been through on the job it's nothing. Now for the last time…**drop it**."

"Okay…okay." Drew backed off and returned to watching the raindrops drip down the window.

**The Townhouse  
****10:44 p.m. **

Drenched from the storm and their passion ablaze, Tawny and Greg left a trail of damp clothes on the way to the bedroom.

"Ooh! I forgot to tell you…I loved your poem." Tawny sighed with pleasure as she fell back on the bed wearing only her rhinestone-studded red lace g-string.

"You inspired me to write poetry." Greg tossed his pants and joined her. "And now you're inspiring something else in me."

Tawny's eyes sparkled as Greg pulled her on top of him and when the thunder clapped outside she giggled, "We've never made love during a storm."

"We can't get carried away, remember?" Caressing her thighs he warned, "We're clear as of yesterday from the doctor, but she said nice and slow with you in charge."

"So we'll go slow." With her hands she sensually lifted her hair to further beguile him.

"Hey, I've never seen that bracelet." Greg's heart skipped a beat as he thought of her broken phone and the clothes strewn around in what he now thought might be a hurry to get somewhere. "Um…why were you dressed for a night on the town? Where were you returning from and um…why are you wearing your sexiest underwear when you said you were expecting me** to call **from California and not show up here?"

"Uh…"

**Boulevard Station  
****10:59 p.m. **

Officers Mezzer and Garcia escorted Nick and Drew to the overflow holding cells. "We'll keep you separate from the real criminals, Stokes," Mezzer informed his work acquaintance. "Sarge is calling your boss though so you're in deep shit. Getting booked isn't a wise career move. This is gonna cost you big. I hear they're hiring security over at that new Wal-Mart, maybe you can get something there."

When Nick didn't reply Drew said, "Look at him…you think he assaulted me? Hell…he was just defending himself when I hauled off at him and he got in one lucky punch at my nose." When the bars shut locking him alone in the cell he prodded, "Tell 'em, Nicky. Tell 'em you didn't do anything except protect yourself."

In the holding cell across from his brother Nick headed for the water fountain without saying a word.

So Drew kept talking. "He's embarrassed from the ass whipping, that's why he's not talking. Give me a pad and paper and I'll write a statement taking full responsibility."

Garcia nodded, "We've got other priorities, so we'll get to that when we have a chance."

Once they were alone Drew spoke to his brother's back from across the way. "Nicky, you better drop the macho bullshit ASAP! In the grand scheme of life it doesn't matter if I say on paper I kicked your ass. What **does** matter is saving your career and not impacting your fiancée's. She works for the DA's office and it will be a political nightmare if her future husband gets canned. And you know what Mama and Daddy will say to you for messing up your future. Nicky, use your head and not your ego here. I'm giving you a chance. I swear you won't owe me anything and I won't rub it in your face." When he saw Nick remain hunched over the water fountain drinking he yelled, "C'mon, talk to me!"

**The Townhouse  
****11:09 p.m. **

"Can't we talk about this!" Tawny pleaded as Greg rushed out of bed.

"Later." Tugging on the jeans he had shucked not long ago, Greg huffed, "I'm going to the hotel."

"No!" Tawny bolted from the bed and grabbed his hand. "You can't."

Shaking loose of her grip he headed for his closet. "I know you said you handled it and he got the message but, I want to give him one of my own."

Racing to her closet she tossed on a purple tank shirt and shorts just in case she had to follow him outside. "Just drop it, Greg!" she yelled when she saw him stuffing his feet in a pair of blue Pumas.

"He solicited you for prostitution, Tawny. No, I'm not going to drop it." Grabbing her wrist he pointed to the bracelet. "He made the offer and put the bracelet on your wrist. Every hotel in this town has cameras in the hallways. It's on tape. I can nail him."

"Have you lost your mind!" she shrieked. "I was dressed like a hooker. He'd say I took the bracelet and ran because I was ripping him off. And…"

"And what?"

"And…I wasn't alone when I went there." She cringed, knowing it was going to upset him. "I called Nick and told him everything. He was devastated. He couldn't believe his brother could be such a lying, cheating bastard. We um…conducted a little sting operation…that's what Nick called it. After I took the bracelet, Nick stepped out from the shadows and confronted Drew. He's there right now…handling things."

His shoulders slumping, Greg berated himself, "Right…you couldn't call me because I was too busy letting Becca feel me up while I was playing out some juvenile revenge. Great…just great. Could I feel like more of an idiot…**no**! I should have been here.** I** should have been the one defending your honor. Did you tell Nick why I wasn't here to defend you myself?"

Vehemently shaking her head she replied, "I told him you were out meeting an old friend from college who was looking to relocate to Vegas. Then I said I tried to call but you didn't answer and I didn't remember where you said you'd be having dinner."

"Thank you for that." After pecking her lips he dashed out of the bedroom he had an even stronger urge to rush to the hotel. "I love you!"

"Greg! I didn't call Nick to defend my honor. I called because…because Carrie once told me that Nick idolized his big brother growing up and wanted to show him Drew's anything but someone to worship." Tawny followed Greg, grabbing his hand and yanking him from the door. "Please! Don't go there!"

"Why? Because you know I'll end up getting my ass kicked by Nick's jock brother? Because you already got a better man to handle things?" Grabbing his keys he said, "Even though those things are true, I'm going anyway."

"No, I don't want you to go because…" Tearfully she confessed, "Because I'm humiliated already and it will only get worse if you go there. I'm afraid he'll say things about me…true things…things that will make you regret the choice you made tonight." Releasing his hand she wiped her tears. "The truth is, Greg…if I hadn't met you and fallen in love with you…if you hadn't shown me that I could go back to school and clean up my act..." Lowering her eyes to the floor she admitted, "…I probably would have accepted Drew's offer tonight because I was so tired of dancing and waiting for a dream that I thought would never happen. The truth is…he wasn't asking me to do anything I hadn't already done with him for free. He was giving me an honest reality check and **at the time**, I think I would have decided that for a girl like me, it was a real good offer." Pleading with her eyes she whispered, "Please don't go to the hotel."

Finally getting it, Greg dropped his keys and grabbed Tawny's hand, pulling her to his chest. "Don't feel bad, Princess. The truth is, if I hadn't met you when I did and fallen in love with you…I would have bought Becca's act and slept with her tonight only to get my heart broken after Labor Day. At least in your scenario, you would have had a bracelet and cash to show in return for getting screwed. I would only have the humiliation. So much for me being a genius, huh?" Tenderly he kissed the top of her head and cuddled her tight. "The bottom line is…our stories aren't that different when you really think about it. Drew wanted sex and offered cash. Becca wanted to play with my head so she offered to fulfill my high school fantasy. They're both heartless manipulative users and you and I have track records of thinking too little of ourselves and letting people take advantage of us. And you're absolutely right…there's no point in me going to the hotel and wasting a second of our life on that asshole." Cupping her face he placed a tender kiss on her lips.

Smiling through her tears Tawny remarked, "Nice spin. I think Dr. Myers would like it."

"It's true." He brushed her damp hair from her face, softly cupping her cheeks. "Luckily we found and saved each other from them and ourselves."

"Just in the nick of time."

**Boulevard Station  
****Sergeant's Desk  
****11:18 p.m. **

Jim Brass's blood pressure continued to rise as he stood listening to the Sergeant. The more he heard the more he doubted he could get Nick out of the mess. The Tempest's hotel manager was insisting on formal charges; he had two security guys for witnesses; physical evidence to show there was a brawl…it was FUBAR. Saying it was a domestic dispute between brothers wasn't going to help because Nick would still appear violent and Jim knew the general public didn't like violent people who beat their own brothers, carrying guns and flitting about town on police business. "He hasn't said anything?" Brass prodded.

"Not a word."

It was the first good news Jim had heard since he received the phone call in the middle of his late night dinner with Heather. "And the brother?"

"He said it's all him. That Nick was just defending himself," the Sergeant laughed, "but the brother's got a broken nose and bloody clothes too, so I'm less inclined to believe that Nick is innocent."

"Nice speculation…we generally frown upon that in the crime lab." Brass gave his best sarcastic chuckle. "Here's another one we like to uphold…innocent until proven guilty. You might want to grab a pen and jot that one down for future use."

Ignoring the quip the sergeant said, "You want me to take you to them now?"

"Give me some time to make a phone call." Brass grabbed his cell thinking, Carrie is going to flip when she gets here but, we need a legal opinion.

**Boulevard Station  
****Overflow Holding Cells  
****11:24 p.m. **

"Nicky!" Drew shouted as he gripped the bars. "Would you work with me here? We have to get the story straight before your boss comes." For the last ten minutes Nick had been leaning in the corner of the cell with his back to him. Only five feet from him across the hall, Drew decided to take off his shoe and launch it at his stubborn brother's body. "Nicky! Get in the game!"

When the shoe made contact Nick bristled and half-heartedly replied, "Yeah…okay."

"Finally!"

"Andy…"

"What?" he said, hoping his brother had wised up.

In a distant voice he declared, "I…I can't finish the game."

"Wh…" Shaking his head Drew said, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Did I walk off the field?"

Massaging his temples Drew groaned, "Seriously, I'm losing my patience."

"Did I walk off…or…"

Drew laughed. "Oh, I get it…you're going for an insanity defense. I don't see how that's going to help your career though, Bro."

"I…I wanted to finish…"

"Nicky, there's nobody here but me and I know you're not crazy." Seeing his brother's shoulders heaving Drew said, "Good Lord, are you **crying**? Shit…you know what you are…you're a woman trapped in a man's body, that's what you are."

"I…" Nick gripped the bars and slowly turned to face his brother. "I'm sorry, Andy."

"Oh shit!" Drew screamed as he saw his brother's face was drained of color and his body drenched in sweat.

"I'm weak…" His knees gave out and he slipped down the bars. "I'm sorry."

"Call 911! We need an ambulance!" Knowing the symptoms of shock when he saw them, Drew shouted at the top of his lungs hoping someone would hear. "Help! Now! Call 911!" When he heard someone coming he dropped to his knees and pleaded, "Nicky! Look at me!" Fear gripped him when he saw his brother losing consciousness. "Look at me! I'm over here. Hang with me, Nicky. You're still in the game! Let's talk strategy. Let's go over the next play. Talk to me!"

Instead of replying, Nick fell backwards gasping for air.

**The Townhouse  
****11:27 p.m. **

Panting from the intensity burning between them as they fumbled to remove each other's clothes in bed, Greg nervously admitted, "I'm so overexcited that I'm scared I'm going to forget and get carried away. I have a history of doing that sort of thing with you."

"Really?" Giggling, she smoothed her hand over her bare belly. "Don't worry, Baby…I won't forget." Curling her fingers around the waistband of his boxers her desire fired as she thought of Becca doing the same hours earlier then getting denied.

"Are you sure you don't want me to shower?" he shyly asked as Tawny tossed his boxers. Suddenly he was feeling guilty that Becca's epithelials were coating his Johnson.

"No." With a puckish glint in her eyes she replied, "At the risk of sounding like a twisted freak, I'll confess that it's turning me on to know her hands were on you and you denied her. Actually…it gets me a little hotter every time I think about it. Do you want to see what I mean?" While dangling her diamond-covered wrist over Greg's body Tawny seductively asked, "Do you want me to take this off because it makes you uncomfortable, or will it give you a rush seeing it on me in bed?" Running her hand down her body she murmured, "Every time you see it on me you'll be reminded that, what another man was willing to pay ten grand a day for…I give you for free because I love you and think you rock my world in bed."

"Whoa…" Pulling her close he hungrily kissed her. "…keep it on." The next kiss was even more possessive. "Definitely keep it on."

"Get as intense as you want on the outside but, remember…you'll need to chill before making your big move." As he trailed heated kisses down her body she giggled uncontrollably, imagining Becca home in bed with a synthetic man and Drew watching hotel room porn with Pamela Handerson. It served them both right, she thought as Greg worshipped her body and she worshipped him for deeming her priceless. "Mmm…" She wanted him to know he was hitting the mark. "Becca only got a glimpse of what she was missing out on, Baby. If she knew how fantastic you make a woman feel, she'd really be kicking herself."

**Boulevard Station  
****Sergeant's Desk  
****11:29 p.m. **

"Faster!" Jim barked Brass barked at the Mezzer who was fumbling with the controls. "Open the damn cell already!"

"Ambulance is on its way!" Garcia announced while rushing down the hall. "I got the First Aid kit too."

From across the way Drew shouted, "He's bleeding internally! That kit's not gonna help. Get some blankets! Make sure he's breathing! God damn it, get me out of here and let me help him. I was pre-med and worked as an EMT in college!"

"Get him out!" Brass ordered as he watched in horror at Nick shaking uncontrollably.

Once free from the cell Drew rushed to his brother's side. "You hang in here for me, Nicky. Do you hear me!"

Fading in and out of consciousness his eyelids fluttered. "An…"

"I'm right here." With two fingers pressed into his brother's neck, Andy began taking a pulse.

When he saw the Sergeant in the hall Brass yelled, "Call all hands on deck to block the roads. It's raining and the streets are a mess. I want that ambulance to have a clear shot to the University Trauma Center at eighty miles an hour without slowing at the lights."

"That's an abuse of your power."

"What's the point of **having **power if you don't abuse it every once in while? Then you'd only have the shit that came with the big title." Grabbing the radio from the sergeant's belt he ordered, "You make that call and you do it to save your own ass. If he dies here because your men didn't check on him when they **knew **he was assaulted, the shit **will** hit the fan and **all** of it will end up on you. If I'm not enough of a threat then how's this for a vice grip on your balls…his daddy is a judge on the Supreme Court of Texas, so I'm thinking he probably knows a negligence case when he sees it. **Make the call**!"

Running down the hall the Sergeant shouted into the radio, doing as ordered.

Andy gently lifted Nick's shirt and carefully probed the area. "I knew it. He's got broken ribs."

"Hurts," Nick whimpered as his brother removed his hands.

"I know it does and we're gonna get someone to fix that for you." Then Andy informed Brass, "Left lower ribs…could have injured his spleen or kidney…or both." The feel of his brother's clammy skin made him check his watch. "It happened about ten thirty." His heart sank. "Dammit…that's an hour he's been bleeding."

Brass took one look at the horrific bruising and glared at Drew. "You did that to your own brother? My god…my brother and I hate each other but I'd never do that to him. What kind of animal are you?" He felt his blood pressure jump another notch.

"I didn't do this!" Drew snapped back as he took the blankets from the returning officer. "Shit! Everything in here is nailed down so there's nothing to elevate his feet. Someone needs to hold them."

Brass quickly assumed the role. "Answer me. If you didn't do this then who did?"

"Lift them a little higher…twelve inches minimum," he instructed before answering the question. "Yeah, I fought him but security did this when they were taking us out of the hotel." Placing a second blanket over his brother he prodded, "Stay with me, Nicky. Help's on the way."

"Tired."

"You can't sleep in the middle of the game, Bro!" Watching him fade away, Drew checked his pulse again then told Jim, "Two goons had us in the service elevator…they roughed us up. I kept asking him if he was okay because one of bastards stomped him hard with Doc Martens." Swallowing his shame Drew placed his hand on Nick's cool, pale forehead. "But I should have known you'd never admit you were suffering in front of me even if you were…" He gulped at the memories associated with the phrase. "…even if you were dying on the inside." Realizing that's exactly what his brother was doing, Drew tucked the blankets a little tighter and knelt down to coach directly into his ear, "You need to stay in the game. Do you hear me? Stay tough."

"An…"

"I'm right here." He squeezed his brother's hand. "I'm not leaving you. I'm really proud of you, Nicky. You played some great ball today. Are you hearin' me?"

A sudden realization hitting him, Brass grabbed his camera phone and snapped a few photos of Nick's contusion. "Mezzer! Grab that shoe in the hall and bag it for me, will you and then take the one he's still wearing. We're going to need to prove those shoes don't match this bruise." He realized Drew was so busy pumping positive thoughts into Nick's ear, he didn't even know his ass was being saved. "You listen to your brother and stay in this game," Brass yelled as he put the phone away.

"You hear that, Bro? That's your coach talking." He hated feeling so helpless but since Nick needed an IV, blood and measures to stop the internal bleeding, there was nothing more he could do.

When Brass heard a woman's shrieks from down the hall, he remembered that he had called Carrie to come to the police station and help him deal with the situation, hoping her DA connection might help. "Garcia! Take his feet for me!" As soon as the officer took over Brass jumped up and raced out of the cell.

"Where is he!" Carrie screamed as she ran past the officers lining the hall. When she walked into the station nothing could have prepared her for what the officers told her when she said she was meeting Jim Brass to see Nick Stokes.

"Carrie…" Jim caught her in his arms. "Listen to me…the ambulance is on its way and it's going to be okay."

"Let me go!" She fought to break loose.

Jim complied, hoping her voice would help Nick stay roused.

At the cell's entrance she gasped from Nick's deathly appearance. "Is he…"

"He's breathing and his pulse is weak but holding," Andy informed her. "He fading in and out and very confused. Confusion is a symptom of shock… he thinks he's back in school playing ball."

Trembling, she knelt before her fiancé and caressed his pale, damp skin with her fingertips. "I'm here, Honey. It's Carrie." Bending down she kissed his battered cheek, the lack of heat in his flesh sending a shiver through her. "You're going to be fine." She gulped down her fears and fronted strength. "Help is on the way. Do you hear me, Sweetie? It's Carrie."

Forcing his eyes open Nick whispered, "Carr…"

"I'm right here." With a loving smile on her face, she gently smoothed her palm over his drenched hair. "I love you, Nicky." After a kiss to his lips she soothed, "I'm not scared…no…because I know you'll fight with everything you've got to stay with me. You promised. Don't you get scared either…this is just like last night…it seems frightening when it's happening, but it will all turn out okay. Do you hear me, Honey?" Watching his eyes roll back she covered her mouth with both hands to block her scream.

Just then Jim heard the paramedics. "Everybody move and let these guys in to work." He pulled Carrie to her feet and clutched her tight as he moved her to the rear of the cell. "You did great, Sweetheart. He knows you're here."

Glaring at Andy she screamed, "I can't believe you did this to him! I knew you were a bastard from what he told me you used to do to him as a kid, but this…my god…" She turned to Jim. "He survives a **stranger's** attack last night and then **his brother** comes to town and beats him within an inch of his life?"

"Shh…shh," Brass pleaded. "There's more to the story than I knew when I called you and this isn't helping because he needs to give details to the EMTs."

Andy relayed pertinent information until eventually he had to ask, "Carrie! Is he taking any medications?"

After Jim shook her gently and repeated the question Carrie answered, "Motrin and antibiotics for the gunshot wound." In horror Carrie watched the men work on Nick's lifeless body. "I don't understand, Jim…" Her tears finally came. "Tawny called…she and Greg needed help moving some furniture. He kissed me goodbye and said he'd be back in couple of hours and then…" Her gaze turned to Andy once more. "Then **he** called the house inviting us out to dinner tomorrow. That was at ten. How did this happen? How did Nick go from helping Tawny and Greg at nine and not being with Andy at ten to…this nightmare?" The words of the EMT grabbed her attention.

"Heart rate's tachy and BP's dropping. Let's move! We'll finish en route." As they mobilized, the lead EMT shouted, "Rodriguez, call ahead and make sure they've got some units of O lined up at Trauma."

Carrie buried her face in Jim's chest. "Please wake me up."

"I wish I could, Sweetheart." Closing his eyes, Jim clutched her trembling body. "I wish I could."

**The Townhouse  
****11:40 p.m. **

Frustrated with the uber-cautious approach they both agreed they should take this first time Tawny whimpered, "Ooh…I wish we could…"

"No…no, this is perfect," Greg murmured as they lay side by side clasping each other tight. "Everything matches the pace. A gentle rain outside…the delicate light of a candle illuminating the room…soft music filling the air around us."

"Mmm…" Gazing into her lover's eyes she sighed, "When you put it that way."

Grazing the tip of his nose over hers Greg whispered, "Every move is soooo slow…and perfect…just like our fit." The kiss he lingered over her lips matched the tempo. "An easy groove…an eskimo kiss…" At a snail's pace he swirled his fingertips up the inside of her thigh. "I just thought of something else I can do slowly." Grinning he moved to nibble her neck. "For some strange reason, all this slow talk is suddenly making things happen faster for me."

"Wait for me!"

"It's been a while…I'm out of practice…and it's been a **really **trying day." On a jagged exhale he urged. "Sweetie, you need to get there quick."

"Ooh, not yet!"

In humorous frustration he pointed out, "You do remember I already generously helped you win a solo race tonight so technically I'm **way** behind and…"

"Stop talking!" She tried not to laugh and remain focused.

"Talking delays me."

"Yeah, but when you're not saying the right thing it delays me too and then I don't catch up."

Breaking into a full laugh he urged, "Maybe you should drop out of the race gracefully since you already..."

"No way!" She shook with laughter as her finish line grew distant and Greg more frustrated.

An earnest ten seconds of trying later, Greg moaned the bad news in Tawny's ear. "Sorry, Princess…the race is…" After a temporary loss of speech function he completed his thought, "…over."

**University Trauma Center  
****11:52 p.m. **

Carrie, Jim and Andy rushed through the ER entrance and made a beeline for the information desk.

"We're here for Nick Stokes," Jim authoritatively announced, "…he was just brought in by ambulance."

After glancing at her computer, the clerk at the desk pointed to the guard at the Trauma entrance. "He'll show you to the waiting area but I need to give you a badge and only family is allowed back so, tell me who you are."

One by one they raised their hands and stated their relation.

"Carrie Blake, Fiancée."

"Drew Stokes, Brother."

"Uncle Jimmy."

Even though she was a little suspicious about the supposed brother, the desk clerk handed over three badges and waved on the trio.

**The Tempest  
****11:53 p.m. **

Catherine, Jas and Detective Pena, the newest detective in the department, hurried into the hotel lobby followed by four police officers.

Since the detective was green and she was tense, Catherine took the lead. "Willows…LVPD Crime Lab, I need the manager ASAP."

"What's going on?" the desk clerk, a twenty-something blonde who didn't expect to be dealing with cops, nervously asked.

She barked back, "Does it say **manage**r on your name tag, Tina? Move it!"

Jas and the detective jumped back and Pena remarked, "I uh…thought I was supposed to establish our presence?"

"You were taking too long." Catherine marched forward looking for security personnel that matched the descriptions relayed by Drew to Brass and then to her.

"What's going on?" the night manager, Mr. Blane, a forty-two year old with a disdain for cops, demanded. "You can't come in here screaming. I want to see some…"

"Hold that thought." Catherine then turned to Jas and Detective Pena with a way to get rid of them. "Find the service elevator closest to room 1411 and shut it down."

Both intimidated, they scurried off to do as told.

Blane's gaze narrowed as he said, "I don't care who you are…"

"You should," she advised while shooting daggers. "Because not only am I a Forensic Investigator who's going to nail your people to the wall…I'm Sam Braun's daughter. So, Blane, now that you've just realized you're my personal slave…get ready to do my bidding. From here on out, I say jump and you say how high. I want access to the surveillance tapes for the 14th floor and the service elevators. While I'm reviewing those I want you to track down Brutus and Lenny and hold them in your office." Waving over the two officers standing at the entrance Catherine snapped at Blane, "I'm pissed off, I'm worried about my friend, and I'm PMSing…so don't mess with me tonight. Officer Cortez will escort you on your goon search. Officer Sterling will review the tapes with me." Ticked the man was still standing gaped-mouthed in front of her she yelled, "Don't just stand there, Blane. Jump!"

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****11:57 p.m. **

When Jillian heard the knock on the door she realized she had fallen asleep on the couch watching TV. After a quick check of her watch she panicked, wondering who would be knocking loudly on the door at this hour.

In silence she padded to the door and peered through the peephole. "Gil?" She thought it highly unusual for him to be calling so late.

"Jillian, could you open the door?" When she did, he decided there was no point in sugar coating it. "I'm sorry to tell you that Nick's in the ER. Carrie and his brother are with him. Jim Brass called on the way to the hospital and asked me to come and get you."

"Dear God." She flew into a panic. Carrie had told her she was going to help Nick at Greg and Tawny's. "Was he in a car accident? How serious is it?"

"No, he wasn't in a car accident." The terror in her eyes unnerving him he simply said, "Get whatever you need and I'll tell you what I know on the way to the hospital."

**University Trauma Center  
****11:59 p.m. **

Upon arrival in Trauma Room 2, the Chief Attending ER Physician, Ginny Bowers, dictated the game plan to the Trauma Team. "Airway's good. We're set with two large-bore lines. Connie…get that O on the rapid infuser, then I want this room warmer. Patti…push another bolus, then prep him. Jake…check vitals and update the OR. Paula…you know the drill…type and cross, CBC, and Chem 7, then I want a Foley to check output volume and presence of blood. We'll do a FAST exam because he's too unstable for a CT. We're in time, but let's not waste any. Run with it people!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

By now I hope you know my writing well enough to know that the impact of Nick's trauma on everyone around him is the real story and I didn't just hurt him for the hell of it LOL. Look for a lot to come out of this that will impact many people and set other storylines in motion (besides the obvious NC, GT, GS and Stokes family), Cath & Warrick with Lindsay, Ron & Lina, Sean & Ryan as brothers, Paul & Wendy, Brass/LH/Ellie, Sofia & Irving and even….Mike Rodgers.

Even though there is a stressful situation at hand and there will be tears, lots will be tears of joy and there will be laughter of both the nervous-tension induced variety and from having fun. This is the biggest hill in the rollercoaster to date and I hope you enjoy the ride it produces.

Thanks to Misty J and Rojaji for leaving reviews!

Creative input thank yous for this and upcoming chapters…to my husband for the male point of view, to KJT for her input on the Cath/Sam Braun storyline, to my neighbor who is a critical care nurse, and to EyerishEyes who is my maximum security prison expert! You're all helping make the story stronger.

**Next Chapter:** while Nick's in surgery, tensions rise at the hospital, The Tempest and the Crime Lab. There's flashback backstory that gives a glimpse of one character's old life, and if you're a fan of a certain couple…you won't want to miss the last scene. **Posting:** late night Thursday.

Thanks for reading!

Maggs


	9. Chapter 9

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 9**

**August 30, 2005  
****University Trauma Center  
****12:20 a.m. **

Pacing the open waiting area at the end of the trauma wing, Carrie watched the minutes tick by. "I don't understand why there hasn't been another update."

Jim peered down the hall and flagged a nurse. "We really need to hear something on Stokes, ASAP." When he saw the nurse hold up her index finger he nodded. "Hang in there, Honey. The nurse said she'll be right here."

"Carrie! How is he!" Jillian frantically asked from the hall as she hurried towards the waiting area with Gil on her heels. "On the way over Gil told me what he knew, but how is Nicky since he arrived here?"

The two women met in a bear hug and Carrie tearfully said, "They told us he was holding up but, we haven't heard anything for fifteen minutes. They're trying to stabilize him before sending him to surgery."

"Okay." Jillian breathed deep. "Thank God his daddy's boat docked in L.A. today. He's on his way to the airport to take the first flight here."

In the corner of the room Drew sat in a daze. In all the drama he only just now realized he was missing his shoes. The thought of shoes brought back the vivid memory of the security guy stomping down on Nick's chest and then grabbing Nick by the shirt and slamming his face into the wall. "Are you sure your people are heading to the hotel, Jim?" he asked in a weak voice. "I want that bastard to pay for what he did to my brother."

"Don't you worry about that…they'll pay." Jim stuffed his hands in his pockets and said, "But help me out here…I'm baffled by how Nick could suffer like that for an hour without saying a word."

Stepping back from Jillian's embrace Carrie filled in the blank. "It's not baffling to me, Jim. Nick didn't say anything because he didn't want to look weak in front of his domineering big brother. Isn't that right, Andy? I wasn't even there and I know it's true because I know the twisted shit you used to do to him when you were on one of your testosterone highs. Admit it! Admit that Nick has a high pain tolerance because you **conditioned** him to have one by abusing him mentally and physically under the guise of making him tougher!"

Jim and Gil faded to the sides of the room while Jillian stood stunned by Carrie's tirade and her son's guilty expression.

"I can't hear you, Andy!" Carrie barked. "Nick was too ashamed to say he was hurt in front of you because he **knew** you'd bust him about it until the day he died, which better not be today for your sake. Sure, that hotel security guy may be the one who did the damage but that's just part of this equation. You're just as culpable. Admit it, you coward! Admit what you used to do to him when your mom wasn't home and the nanny was looking the other way. Your family hired some pretty shitty caregivers over the years and you exploited every opportunity. You're sick you know that!" She lunged forward. "Sick!"

Before Jim could grab her, Carrie was in Andy's face slapping him. "Carrie…Carrie you have to pull it together and stay in control in case Nick needs you. Come with me."

Standing in the middle of the waiting area Jillian was lost. "Andy…" She stared in disbelief at his broken nose and guilty eyes. "My God…what happened between Nicky and you tonight?"

One look at his mother and Drew, a man with a reputation for being strong and unemotional at all times, started to crumble. "I'm sorry, Mama. Carrie's right. I didn't crack his ribs but…the other stuff she said…"

Jim had Carrie off in the corner coaching her to slowly breathe her way back in control while Gil stood in the opposite corner slipping deeper into observation mode as his discomfort with the emotional atmosphere grew. Clearly there was more to the story. He saw it building in Andy's eyes…but what exactly?

"Why?" Jillian asked her son.

"It started as kid stuff but then…" Drew answered in a guilt-induced ramble, "When Nicky was nine, Daddy thought he was clingin' to you too much and cryin' too easy…he thought Nicky was becoming a Mama's boy and decided it had to stop. He charged me with toughening him up. I did what I was told…to this day I never stopped and sometimes in the past, I took it too far, but only because I wanted him to be tougher and stronger."

"Good Lord."

"It worked and Dad told me he was pleased with Nicky's progress, that's why I kept doing it. Look how far he came…you know he was horrible on the field when he was younger but he went on to make first string in high school and then play Aggie ball. You know how proud Dad and I were of him…and he was proud of himself." Then he saw his future sister-in-law wiping her tears. "But Carrie's right…I did shame him into not looking weak...that's why he didn't want to say he wouldn't admit he was hurting in front of me…I'm sorry, Mama." Unable to look at her any longer he buried his head in his hands. "I'm really sorry."

With her hand over her mouth Jillian realized the timing her son was referring to coincided with Shelly's assault. As the cut in her heart tore a little deeper Jillian sadly remarked, "We all let him down…not one of us took the time to step back and figure out why he was so out of sorts."

"Doctor's here!" Jim announced, snapping everyone back to the moment…except Andy, who was paralyzed by guilt.

From his invisible position in the room, Grissom desperately tried to assess the situation from the doctor's expression but unfortunately he saw no tells on her face.

"I'm Doctor Ginny Bowers, Chief Attending ER Physician, I treated Mr. Stokes," she announced to the group forming around her. "With whom am I speaking to?"

Carrie and Jillian gripped each other's hands and simultaneously replied…

"His fiancée."

"His mother."

"Okay." The doctor faced the correct parties. "When we sent him to the OR he was stable…another five minutes to get here and I'm quite certain I'd be delivering another message."

Jim exhaled sharply, glad he hadn't delayed getting to the station and once there, pushed for the no-holds-barred road closure.

Jillian and Carrie hugged each other, relieved that Nick was still with them and then returned their attention to the doctor.

The doctor began, "I sometimes start out in layman's terms but slip into medical jargon so, stop me if you don't understand something."

"Gil…" Carrie called out. "Can you come here and listen too since you speak the same language?"

"Uh…sure." He left his safe corner spot and joined the two women.

"The blunt trauma to the abdomen fractured the 10th and 11th ribs." The doctor pointed to the corresponding spot on her body. "The spleen is normally protected by those ribs but, when they cracked they were driven into the spleen, which perforated it, causing a major devascularization."

Gil translated without being asked. "Loss of blood supply to the organ due to the destruction of blood vessels. The spleen is the most vascular organ in the body."

The doctor nodded in appreciation. "The rupture of the spleen caused severe internal bleeding and consequently, hemorrhagic shock. When he arrived we estimate Mr. Stokes had already lost a little over thirty percent of his blood supply. It takes over forty for permanent organ damage to occur and because he is in excellent shape with no existing medical conditions I'm not very concerned."

Carrie and Jillian looked to Gil for a second opinion and when they saw him nod they relaxed and readied for more.

"After administering IV fluids and two units of blood, his vitals were holding but not improving. The tests we conducted confirmed our suspicions that his spleen was the major source of the bleed. Because there was no improvement in his condition, we had to rule out non-operative management options and refer him to the OR for immediate surgical measures."

Jillian nervously asked, "How complicated of a surgery is it?"

The doctor calmly replied, "We rank the severity of splenic injury on a scale of one to five with five being the most severe, this injury rated a four. With a grade four injury, there is an excellent chance the surgeons can salvage the spleen by repairing the damage, what we call splenorrhaphy, but depending on what they find when they open him up…a removal, or splenectomy, is also a possibility, which increases the possibility of post-op infection, particularly sepsis. In a healthy patient there is only a small risk associated with this surgery, but of course I am obligated to tell you that any surgical procedure carries associated risks, one of which is death. Once again, Mr. Stokes is in excellent health so, I would encourage you to remain very optimistic."

"Definitely," Carrie replied, convincing herself by saying it out loud. "Are there any future ramifications if he does lose his spleen?"

"A person can live a normal life without their spleen but since it does help in the fight against certain infections, it's always best to preserve it when possible. If his spleen is removed, Mr. Stokes will need to take antibiotics for the rest of his life, receive the Pneumovax vaccine and be very careful about where he vacations so he can avoid exposure to diseases like malaria."

Feeling a marked degree of relief for the first time Carrie smiled through her fright. "I don't care if we can't go on an African safari because of the malaria risk."

From behind Jim lightly gripped Carrie's shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "I wouldn't approve that much time off anyway."

Gil sweetly added, "And from what I heard you had a wonderful time in Flagstaff so why leave the continent?"

The doctor smiled approvingly. "I always say, never underestimate the power of positive thinking. With no complications he could be in the recovery room in as little as two hours but, depending on the amount of repair work, it could be close to four or longer. You'll want to proceed to the OR waiting room. Take the elevator to the fourth floor and follow the signs. The clerk there will receive a phone call as soon as Mr. Stokes is out of the OR and you'll be notified."

"Thank you, Doctor," Jillian said on behalf of the group.

"I'm very encouraged," Gil announced after blowing out a breath.

Jim nodded. "Nick's a fighter. I have no doubt he'll pull through surgery with flying colors."

"I feel it too." Carrie threw her arms around Jim. "You're my hero. If you weren't there he would have…"

"Hey! Don't go there, Blake." He chuckled, "But feel free to go on a little more about me being a hero…my ego can never hear enough of that." He squeezed her tight and whispered, "Nick's like the son I dreamed of but didn't deserve. I'll always take care of him."

"Okay…" Jillian steadied her breathing. "Now that I can think straight, I'd like to get some coffee, head to the OR waiting room and review the chain of events leading up to this because to say I'm confused is an understatement."

"I'm right there with you," Carrie eyed Andy suspiciously. "I have a lot of unanswered questions."

Gil checked his watch and said, "I've not told Sara about this so if you don't mind I'd like to go see her and break the news in person. I'm sure she'll want to join you here for the wait."

"I'd like that." Carrie gave a slight smile. "I need to call my brother and get him here too."

"Oh, I called Greg and Tawny as we arrived at the hospital," Gil informed her. "They're on their way. Hopefully they can fill in some of your blanks because Tawny had something to say but I had to cut her off because cell phones aren't allowed on in the ER."

"Hmm…" Jim commented as he watched Drew's reaction to the mention of Tawny's name and thought of what Carrie said earlier, that Nick was helping Tawny and Greg prior to the incident. "I'll get the coffee and meet you in the OR waiting room. Drew, you need to stick with me because you were released into my custody."

**The Tempest  
****12:36 a.m. **

When she received the news that Brutus and Lenny were in Blane's office being guarded by two police officers, Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. "Jas!"

"Yeah?" She popped out of the service elevator pulling off her gloves.

"I don't want you to miss the fun part." Catherine tossed a nod in the direction of Officer Lutz. "No one gets in that elevator."

"Mugs!" Sam Braun called from down the hall while ripping open his bowtie. "What the hell is going on?"

Catherine turned to Jas and winked. "Can you grab my kit for me and meet me at Blane's office? Thanks."

Once the girl was gone Sam heatedly whispered, "Why didn't you call me?"

"That would be interference."

"Speaking of…I thought you can't process cases related to me because I'm your father?"

Holding up her ungloved hands she smiled. "I'm not processing. I'm just watching. Speaking of watching…" Shaking her head she informed him, "I saw the video of your goons assaulting hotel patrons in the service elevator."

Coolly, he countered, "You mean the hotel patrons who were busting up each other and one of my deluxe suites while disturbing other high profile guests?"

"They weren't busting up each other or your suite when they were in the service elevator and Sam…one of those patrons is my friend and a fellow CSI…Nick Stokes." Her voice cracked, "He's at the University Trauma Center fighting for his life and he better win."

**University Trauma Center  
****12:45 a.m. **

Brass tossed a pair of hospital slippers he had pilfered from the nurse's station to Drew. "They're not your color, but they'll do until your shoes are released from evidence."

"Thanks." Dropping them on the floor he mindlessly stepped into them.

"You wanna get your nose looked at?" Dried blood caked his face and the skin around his eyes was puffed and colored a deep red.

"It's broken. It's been broken twice before. I'll deal with it later." His eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. Time was standing still. "I don't want to be held up in the ER. I want to be around when word on Nicky comes in."

"You want something for the pain?"

"No."

"Because you're too tough?"

"Because my brother is fighting for his life and a pain in my nose seems trivial."

"Okay." Jim picked up the tray of coffee and resumed walking to the elevator. "I'm anxious to get back and see if Tawny is there yet," he remarked as he pressed the UP button. "Tawny…she's a good friend of Carrie's. I think it will help having her there." Glancing up at Drew, Jim asked his first leading question, "Do you think it will help matters to have Tawny around, or do you think it will be uncomfortable? Wait, what I am saying…how would you know Tawny?"

Drew nodded. "You've been discussed over supper at my parent's ranch, Mr. Brass. Nicky respects you and has gushed to my father about your insight and performance in the interrogation room. Now I understand why." Andy stepped through the open elevator doors and leaned against the back wall. "Yes, I know Tawny. Now let's see what you surmise from this statement…I predict in the very near future, my mother, who never laid a hand on us as kids, will slap me senseless when she finds out **how** I know Tawny."

"The following has nothing to do with police business." Jim stopped the elevator. "When was the last time you slept with Tawny?"

"When I was out here on business after the Fourth of July holiday." He saw a reaction in the man's eyes. "Now's my turn to be curious. Why do you care?" Then it hit him. "Oh shit…you're her father and I'm about to get beaten in an elevator again, aren't I?"

"You'd make a lousy CSI," Brass informed him while rejoicing that Tawny hadn't cheated on Greg, not that he really believed she would. "If I were her father I wouldn't care when the last time you slept with her was, I'd just care that a married man with kids screwed my daughter. Also, I wouldn't have wasted my time getting you slippers because they would just make it difficult to fit you with a toe tag when I was done with you. Did I mention I'm from Jersey? Yeah…let's see if this question helps you figure out why I was asking. Did you use a condom when you slept with her?"

"Hell yeah, every time," he vehemently answered. "I met her in a strip club. Trust me, I wasn't taking any chances."

Knowing first hand it was a lot harder to raise another guy's kid when you knew who the other guy was, Jim breathed a sigh of relief and started the elevator.

"She's pregnant, isn't she?"

Brass nodded. "Still maintaining the same answer to the condom question?"

"Why?" His already overtaxed mind spun. "Is she saying it's mine?" With a racing heart he protested, "No way…it's not my baby. I always wore…"

"**They're **not your babies…she's having twins." Brass happily announced, "And thankfully Greg Sanders is the father." It was an interesting change…being grateful that Greg was the one who recklessly impregnated a girl.

"Nicky's co-worker, Greg? The one with the freak hair?"

Brass nodded. "It takes a guy with balls to wear his hair that way. Trust me…you don't want to piss off Sanders. He doesn't look like much of a threat, but he's an animal. Just last week we left him in a basement with a psycho and guess who was standing in the end?"

"Duly noted."

The elevator doors opened and the two men followed the signs to the OR waiting area in silence.

When they rounded the corner and walked into the large room, Jim spotted Greg and Tawny standing in the corner with Jillian and Carrie. "We're back," he announced, anxious to see Tawny's reaction and more importantly Greg's.

Because his mother didn't lunge for him Drew felt confident she didn't know the story yet.

"**Andy**!" Greg approached smiling and extending his hand. "Or is it **Drew** Stokes? Then again, Tawny told me when you're being sneaky you like to go by Drew **McGregor, **so I'm not really sure what to call you. Hmm, how about I just pick the first name that comes to mind?" Stuffing his hands over his chest he very calmly said, "That would be, **Asshole**."

Carrie and Jillian looked to Tawny for an explanation.

"I can't…" was all Tawny managed before dropping into the nearest chair. Feeling completely responsible for Nick's plight, she couldn't speak.

Jim immediately stepped in between the two men. "Greg…I'm sure I don't have to remind you that your file is flagged and you're attending Anger Management class for a reason."

"No worries, Jim." Greg remained relaxed. "I'm in control. I just want to introduce myself and get some things straight."

Brass gave a warning glare to Drew. "You're in my custody. Don't make a move."

He did as requested, standing still and silent.

"I'm Greg Sanders, I work for your brother. I'm also a close friend of his, and I'm Tawny's fiancé." The new title had automatically rolled off his tongue and he took it as a sign that his heart and mind were in sync. "I met Tawny in July right after she found out you were a scumbag who had been lying to her for months about being single when in reality you were cheating on your wife." Well aware that all eyes were on him Greg said, "And although I will remain in control for the sake of the people I care about in this room…people who are already very stressed, I want you to know I'm disgusted that you started this whole mess tonight when you decided to solicit Tawny for prostitution. Since I wasn't there, tell me what happened next…when Nick showed up at the hotel with Tawny to call you out on your degeneracy, did it piss you off? Is that what started the fight, Asshole?"

"Wh…" Carrie watched Tawny sniffle into a wad of tissues. "I…" Too overwhelmed she couldn't scrape up the words required to form a coherent thought.

"Andy?" Jillian asked in disbelief as she marched to face her son. "Tell me that's not true."

After a deep breath, which he believed might be his last, Drew replied, "I'm very sorry, Mama…I can't. Everything he's said is true."

The sharp sound of Jillian's palm striking her son's face filled the room.

**Mandalay Bay  
****Presidential Suite  
****12:55 a.m. **

Both unable to sleep, Sara and Lina had met up raiding the fridge at midnight. After grabbing some snacks and drinks they decided to watch a movie and agreed upon a chick flick. For Sara, the scene was bittersweet because it reminded her of her favorite foster mother who always had a sappy movie on the TV.

After searching the satellite directory, they saw a description for a movie called A Walk in the Clouds that sounded right… _A man in search.__ A woman in need. A story of fate. _

"The description of this movie reminded me of a few couples I know," Sara laughed. "But now that I've been watching it for a while, I've decided that the couple is more of a combo of people I know. The girl is definitely Tawny…pretty, pregnant, and panicking while hoping for a fairytale ending that she doesn't think she deserves. The guy is nothing like Greg though, he's totally Nick…intense, bound by the rules, and desperate to help a pretty little lady in need even if it means sacrificing his safety." Laughing she said, "It's unnerving thinking of Tawny Stokes versus Tawny Sanders."

Lina popped another peanut in her mouth and laughed with her. "I only just met your other friends yesterday at the party, but I can't imagine Carrie Sanders in a million years."

"Greg used to be hot for me," Sara blurted. "I can't believe I just told you that."

Wiping up the Diet Coke she just spat Lina confessed, "It's been a really long time since I was a silly girl talking about boys…I'm loving this."

"Can you imagine me as Sara Sanders?"

"It has a very nice ring."

"Ringing is what my ears would be doing if I lived with Greg."

Lina patted Sara on the knee. "What about Warrick Brown? Did you ever…"

"No." Sara chuckled at the thought. "Not that I didn't sneak every peek that I could in the locker room."

"He's so confident and calm," Lina commented. "I suppose that's why he works well with Catherine, because he doesn't try to steal her spotlight."

**The Tempest**

**1:00 a.m. **

In Mr. Blane's office, Catherine stood against the wall staring at the shoes Jas had requested the two security goons to display by taking them off and placing them 'soles up' on the manager's desk.

"You guys get a two for one discount?" Catherine asked since they were both wearing Doc Martens. "Okay, what are you going to do next, Jas?"

"Well…" After lowering her camera the petite woman replied, "I could talk about blood spatter and say things like there were remnants of blood in the service elevator that I believe will contain the vic's DNA, and that there was a partial bloody shoe print, and blah, blah, blah, etc., etc., etc.,…then eventually I'd tie all together to make my case but…" Walking over to the manager's security TV camera Jas announced, "…since I hear a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm just going to play the tape that shows Mr. Brutus Gambucci stomping on the helpless vic's chest, then grabbing him and bashing his face into the wall twice, and see what he has to say."

Catherine tapped Blane on the shoulder. "Got any candy for the movie?" Reaching in her pocket she pulled out a mint. "That's okay, I brought my own."

A minute later Brutus grunted, "I want a lawyer."

Sickened from seeing the crushing blow to Nick's body, Catherine motioned for the cops to handcuff the guilty party. "Bring Lenny too so Brutus isn't lonely."

**University Trauma Center  
****OR Waiting Room  
****1:05 a.m. **

With several surgeries in progress, the OR waiting room hosted multiple concerned families. Those family members, some who were weary from being there several hours, had been engaged in a variety of activities such as prayer, quiet conversation, crossword puzzles, and deep thought to help pass the time. And while those activities were slightly distracting their worried minds, once the Stokes family and friends arrived and a hefty slap was heard throughout the room, their attention quickly turned to the unfolding drama and time mercifully started to fly.

Her hand still stinging, Jillian continued to blast her son. "Andrew, which part of 'Thou Shalt Not' didn't you understand? And which part of 'I promise to love and respect you until death do us part' did you think meant you could cheat on your wife? And those are just the spiritual laws you've broken…when you solicited Tawny for prostitution…"

"Let's not do this here, Mama," Andy urged, realizing everyone in the room had focused their attention on them.

The OR desk clerk had seen drama's like this play out many times in the stressful waiting room and didn't feel the need to call security.

"Well, I'd love to chat somewhere else, Andrew," Jillian seethed, "…but, I need to stay here and see if your brother is going to make it out of surgery alive. I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience!"

The words tore through Tawny, who had her knees to her chest, curled up in a blue vinyl chair. "If I just hung up the phone instead of…"

"Drink this." Carrie handed her guilt-ridden friend a pointy paper cup full of cold water. "You need to calm down because stress isn't good for the babies." Kneeling before Tawny, Carrie tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled. "Sweetie, this isn't your fault." Reaching over she grabbed another clump of tissues. "This thing between Nick and Andy has been going on since they were kids and they've fought each other a bunch of times. The injury that put him here wasn't from Andy, it was from an out of control hotel security guy."

"But I asked Nick to go to the hotel with me," she countered in between jagged breaths.

"And it was the right thing to do," Carrie countered. "You shined light on the truth. That's the same thing Nick does for a living. Do you really think he would have wanted you to keep the secret, especially when it could hurt his nieces and nephew? No matter what the cost, the truth is always the best course of action."

"Okay." Glancing around she looked to see if Greg was on his way back from his mandated walk down the hall with Brass. "I just wish I hadn't been so stupid and hooked up with that pig in the first place..."

"How did you meet him, Tawny?" Carrie whispered while looking over her shoulder to confirm the ass-chewing in the corner was still taking place.

"At Tweeters," she sniffled. "It was only my second week working there…"

_"Miss Kansas!"__ Benny, Entertainment Manager for Tweeters, called from the open door of the locker room. "You've got five minutes to take your assets to VIP Suite Two."_

_"Ugh!" Patrice tossed her eyeliner and burned an angry look at Tawny. "Benny, why the hell do you keep tossing her the big spenders? I'm the one with two kids to feed! I'm cursing the day she flew in here." _

_"Sorry, Honey…" he informed the mediocre dancer. "They keep requesting her." _

_"I'm really sorry, Patrice." Grabbing her lip gloss Tawny nervously said, "Benny, please tell me it's not the same Russian Mob Slob from last night? The guy made sick noises and disgusting comments the entire time…and he reeked. I was detoxing for an hour." The clientele at Club Paradise, while less wealthy, hadn't been half as gross. Tweeters, she was quickly realizing, catered to the highest rollers with lowest morals and she always preferred the shy guys desperate for affection, even if they didn't tip as big as the perverts. So, while girls usually looked to make the most money with the least effort, whenever Tawny felt really sorry for an obviously lonely guy, she liked to give him an overdose of the human touch he craved at a bargain rate. Perverts on the other hand, got the minimum she could get away with without getting busted while she hustled them for the most cash. _

_"Look here, Miss Kansas," Benny scolded. "You made enough in one night to pay your rent, so shut your pie hole. If you want to be treated like a lady, why the hell are you taking your clothes off for a living? I hear you get to keep your clothes on shoveling fries at McDonald's." _

_Bliss, the current queen of the house, laughed, "She works here because Mickey D's don't pay shit and at least here when you get greasy and cater to assholes, you make enough to pay the bills and then some. Ain't that right, Miss Kansas?" _

_"That's right." Smiling at Bliss, who had taken her under her wing, Tawny half-joked, "And it's only temporary because some day my prince will come walking through the door and take me away from all this."_

_"Yeah, okay." Benny laughed, "Until then, Cinderella, shake those golden tail feathers to VIP Two. You'll be pleasantly surprised because this one actually looks like a prince instead of a toad." _

Tawny glanced up at Drew hanging his head while his mother continued to verbally assault him. "Carrie, you know how they say never judge a book by its cover?" Slouching in the chair she groaned, "Idiot that I was…I did."

_With her gold robe cinched around her almost naked body, Tawny sauntered into VIP Two and was, as Benny predicted, pleasantly surprised. "Hi, Handsome," she greeted the Ken Doll dressed for a night on the town with Barbie. At six-three with sandy brown hair, stunning blue eyes and an athlete's body he had all the right stuff. "Enjoying the champagne?"_

_"It's swill, but I have a feeling I'll be able to overlook that now that you're here." Flashing a movie star smile he extended a glass. "Join me?" _

_"Love to." Licking her lips, she wrapped her fingers around the stem. "Do you want me to drink it or wear it, Baby?" _

_"Drink it, Sweetheart." He relaxed against the back of the gold vinyl couch. "On my lap." _

_"Then put your hands on the couch for me, Stud," she directed while sliding onto his thighs to sit, sip and size up her customer. "You're right…this champagne is swill. I can't believe they charge three hundred dollars a bottle for it in this room. You think they'd include a little something extra for that price, huh?" Demurely she let her robe slip off her right shoulder. "Is there some way I can make it up to you?" _

_"You're off to a fine start." _

_After setting down her empty glass Tawny temptingly played with the ends of her robe's belt. "Benny said you asked for me after you saw me dance." _

_"It was love at first sight." His eyes locked on her glittery lips. "I had to get to know you better." _

_"You want to know me, huh?" Slipping the robe off the other shoulder she coyly asked, "Who do you want me to be? Your old high school flame? I get that one a lot. Or do you want me to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, Tex?" _

_"I want you to be my date later, Sugar." He winked. "I need a lucky lady standing next to me at my favorite craps table at the Bellagio because last night I didn't, and I lost a bundle." _

_Their eyes locked, she coolly informed him, "Sorry…I'm a dancer, not a hooker." _

_"Good, because my name's not Johnny."_

_"Ooh, that was smooth." Turning, she sat on his knees with her back to him and let the robe slip to her waist. "No peeking," she teased while gathering her hair and sliding slowly backwards onto his lap._

_"You're pretty smooth yourself…your moves that is, because I can't touch your skin." _

_Resting against his muscular chest she teased, "You're dying to touch me." _

_"Hell, yes. I'd have to be dead not to want to." Peering over her shoulder he boldly admired her. "Babygirl, I told you I was smitten. I couldn't take my eyes off you when you were on stage. I didn't pay for this room to get a lap dance…I just wanted the opportunity to talk to you in private." _

_"Should I stop dancing then?" _

_"Absolutely not," he chuckled hard. "Now that I've had a taste I believe I must see it through." _

_Turning to straddle him she declared, "You're married." _

_"No, I'm divorced," he immediately corrected. "It's been a few months now." _

_Gripping his broad shoulders she giggled, "Did you play football?"_

_"Yes, ma'am," he said with pride. "Quarterback." _

_"Professional?"__ A professional athlete, unless he had a reputation for being a sick freak, always got a date and a notch on the locker room wall._

_With a tinge of regret he admitted, "Could have, but didn't." _

_"Why didn't you?" Standing she dropped the robe completely and enjoyed his reaction. _

_"I went to medical school instead." He cleared his throat as she stepped up on the platform. "You have quite an athletic body yourself there, Darlin'." _

_"Thank you." She posed a bit then said, "What kind of doctor are you?" _

_"None…I switched and went into business." _

_With her back to him, she let him enjoy the rear view. "So tell me…" Tossing a seductive glance over her shoulder she purred, "…how's business, Baby?" _

_Reading her cue he reached into his pocket. "Excellent." Pulling out a money clip thick with cash and held it up, his grin cracking wider. "Are you interviewing me, Darlin'? Decidin' if I'm worthy?" Patting his lap he said, "I think you'll see I've got plenty to offer you." _

_"It's like a sorority here. I'm sure a good 'ol college boy like you knows how that works." Stepping off the platform she struck an alluring pose. "My sisters and I are very selective. We only date from certain fraternities…Celebrities, Professional Athletes and Sugar Daddies…no exceptions." _

_"I don't want to be your daddy, Darlin'." Drew returned his hands to the couch so she could return to his lap. "And you already know I didn't go Pro." _

_"So, are you famous?" she whispered in his ear while slinking onto his lap._

_"For several things," he rasped as she broke into a steady groove. _

_"Mmm…" With her chest only an inch from his face, Tawny murmured, "Name one thing you're famous for, other than the obvious one beneath my hips." _

_Flashing a killer smile he replied, "I had the prize winning sow at the Dallas County Fair when I was ten. My 4H club even threw me a big party." _

_Not expecting the silly answer Tawny slipped out of her sultry dancer persona and cracked up. "Really! I was Miss Cavanaugh County when I fifteen! That's Kansas by the way. Ugh! I was in 4H for years but **never **had any prize winning livestock. I came close with a Lop-Eared Bunny once, but was edged out in the finals by Tippy Branson. Dang… she never let me hear the end of it either. My group did win a quilting contest one year though, but we only went out for ice cream at Dairy Queen to celebrate." _

_Drew sweetly laughed. "Yeah…what happened to the sexy vixen that was here a minute ago, Miss Cavanaugh County?"_

_"Oh shit." She covered her mouth realizing she had dropped her act in mid performance. "Sorry! Sorry for killing the mood. We can start over. Or I can grab another girl. Or you could have your money back, but that will really get me in hot water so I'd really appreciate you not doing that. Whatever you want…"_

_"I just want you to say yes to our date and promise me you'll show up as Miss Cavanaugh County, not the hussy you pretend to be when you're working." Gazing into her eyes he said, "I had a feeling there was a sweet Midwestern girl hiding behind the aggressive dancer exterior, that's why I had to get to know you." _

_"My working name is Glitter, but my real name's Tawny Cooper." Mesmerized by his blue eyes and his down-home charm she acquiesced, "Okay…I'll go out with you, but **only** because you're a Dallas County Fair celebrity. My shift ends at eleven and I'll need time to get ready." _

_"My limo will be waiting out front at eleven forty-five." Pulling out two c-notes he waved them at the bouncer in the far corner of the room before slipping them into Tawny's g-string. "I want a kiss to hold me over, Babygirl." _

_"You'll get bounced," she cautioned while pointing to Hugo the bouncer. "He's been known to send guys airborne when he chucks them out the door." _

_"I believe that will be a small price to pay for a taste of your no doubt delicious lips." With that he weaved his fingers in her hair and pressed his mouth to hers. _

_Twenty seconds later when he was being shown the door of the VIP room Tawny yelled, "What's your name, cowboy?" _

_"Drew McGregor!" _

"It's Jillian's maiden name," Carrie explained. "That explains why you didn't make the connection when you met Nicky."

"And they look nothing alike except for their smiles." Tawny shook her head. "Ugh…can you believe I fell for that County Fair line?"

"Well…" Carrie smiled sweetly. "I've been known to swoon over a line or two from a Stokes boy myself so..." Taking a deep breath she once again bit back the urge to panic. "Keep talking, Tawny…it's helping you get things off your chest and it's distracting me from worrying about Nicky." When Tawny squeezed her hand Carrie asked, "What happened when the limo arrived?"

_"Ms. Cooper, right this way." The limo driver tipped his hat. _

_"How did you know I'm Tawny Cooper?" she asked while smoothing her hands over her tight black dress. _

_"Mr. McGregor said to keep my eyes open for the most beautiful girl I ever saw." Smiling he opened the back door. "He's been counting the minutes." _

_Thrilled by the movie star treatment Tawny stepped inside the limo and when she saw Drew dangling a big blue ribbon she burst out laughing. _

_"I flew to Kansas and took it from Tippy Branson because as it turns out she used steroids on her bunny and it should have been disqualified." After kissing her cheek he said, "Congratulations. Would you like to go to the nearest Dairy Queen for a float or…" He grabbed the bottle of Cristal chilling in a silver bucket, "…we could enjoy this non-swill variety of bubbly." _

_"Dairy Queen for sure." Giggling she took the ribbon. "After that…cow tipping and, if you impress me, I'll let you take me parking at old man Henry's farm." _

_"Damn…I bet there were broken hearts all over Cavanaugh County when you lived there," Drew commented as he handed over a flute of champagne. _

_"A few," she flirtatiously replied in lieu of telling him her heart was the one with the deepest cracks. _

_Gazing into her eyes Drew soulfully whispered, "Promise you won't break my heart, Darlin'."_

"Oh! You are such a scuz!" Tawny screamed in Drew's direction. "Don't break **your** heart! Don't break **yours**! I can't believe you said that! Now that I'm thinking about it, I bet you knew I was a County Fair Beauty Queen and said that stuff on purpose. There were so many things you said…ugh…you did, didn't you!"

Drew blew out a breath then answered, "Yes, I paid the bartender to tell me everything he knew about you but, Tawny…I did it because I really did want to…"

"I can't believe I didn't figure that out!"

The room went abuzz with gossip as the strangers appreciated the latest outburst.

"You have to be adopted!" Tawny screeched as she jumped from her chair. "Because your brother and your mom are two of the most decent people I've ever met!"

Drew took a step forward. "Tawny, I mean it when I say…"

"Don't!" Greg warned as he rushed over and protectively wrapped his arms around Tawny. "She's heard way too much of your BS already and don't insult her by saying you're sorry when we all know you're not. If you** knew** you were wrong, things wouldn't have come to blows with Nick. Got it? So save your breath."

Carrie stepped forward. "Greg...as much as I want you guys to stay, I don't think it's a good idea for Tawny to be around him and..."

"No, I want to stay. I just need to get away from **him**." Tawny glanced up at the clock. "How long has Nick been in surgery?"

"Ninety two minutes," Carrie answered in a hopeful voice. "Not too much longer. How about you just get some fresh air for twenty minutes or so?"

"Okay." After hugging Carrie, Tawny let Greg lead her out of the area.

"Sis!" Paul ran down the hall. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner." He threw his arms around her. "I was boarding a red-eye for a business trip when Wendy called and told me what happened." Cuddling her he asked, "What's the latest?"

"He's still in surgery." The strength of her brother's arms allowed Carrie to finally weaken. "I'm so glad you're here."

Smoothing his hand over her back he let her cry into his chest. "Shh…" Closing his eyes he realized she hadn't cried this hard since their mom died. "I know how much you hate hospitals."

"It's reminding me of saying goodbye to mom," she sobbed. "I can see it in my head…she looked so weak…with all that machinery. I wish we had just brought her home. I hate that she wasn't home by her garden and…the thought of Nicky like that…"

Opening his eyes he saw who he assumed was Nick's brother standing next to Jillian. "Andy?"

He nodded while averting his eyes.

"I could kill you for bringing my sister this kind of pain." He squeezed Carrie tighter. "The only thing stopping me from strangling you is a need to be here for my family and my respect for your family…not that you have any for them."

Jillian motioned to Jim. "Can you get someone to take my son back to the police station? It's far too upsetting for everyone, myself included, to have him here and Carrie and Nicky deserve to be surrounded by people who love and care about them…not Andy."

"Mom, please…" He reached for her, pleading, "I want to be here when word on Nicky comes down. Please don't make me go."

"Jim…" She walked away. "I'll be in the Ladies Room. Please make sure he's not here when I return."

"Come on." Jim motioned for him to follow. "I'll walk you downstairs and call for a car."

Lifting her head out of her brother's chest, Carrie peered over at Andy. "He was so disappointed when you cancelled."

"Cancelled?" Drew parroted.

"Dinner…in July." Swatting her tears Carrie said, "You were supposed to have dinner with us at the apartment and meet me. You called and cancelled fifteen minutes before you were due to arrive saying you had business to attend to. I heard him from the other room…he begged you to just stop by and meet me and see our place. After he hung up he told me you said you would if you could but the meeting wouldn't wait. You had already cancelled on us twice in May and June. Now we know Tawny was the reason every time. You couldn't spare thirty minutes out of your busy day cheating and lying to see your brother." Stepping back from Paul's hug Carrie told Andy, "He was going to ask you to be his best man that evening. But don't be too flattered," she cautioned. "He didn't want to choose between Warrick and Greg so he was going to ask you as a means of avoiding the difficult decision." A smile crested on her face. "I'm so glad you cancelled that night, because you're nobody's best man, Andy…especially not Nicky's."

Jim took Drew's arm. "Let's go."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****1:07 a.m. **

When Gil entered the suite he was surprised to find Sara and Lina on the couch snacking and watching a movie.

"Hey, Honey," Sara warmly greeted from the couch. "We couldn't sleep so we're watching sap and eating sugar."

Lina pointed to the screen. "A fire just broke out at the vineyard because the father of the pregnant girl got angry and in his rage knocked over a kerosene lamp. I have a feeling they're going to lose everything."

Sara laughed, "But Nick and Tawny will end up together."

Lina laughed at the inside joke.

The mention of Nick's name shocked Gil back to the task at hand. "Sara…" Kneeling in front of her he took the remote and muted the TV. "I have something to tell you and it's upsetting but I don't want you to panic because it's under control and I'm quite confident everything will be okay."

Her breath catching in her throat she asked, "What did Mike do now?"

"No…it's not that." Reaching out he took her hand. "Nick's undergoing emergency surgery. It's a long story but the short of it is he got into an argument with his brother at The Tempest and when security escorted them out they made a pit stop in a service elevator and…" Seeing the emotion building in his wife's eyes Gil's voice weakened. "They cracked his ribs and in doing so ruptured his spleen causing him to go into hemorrhagic shock from bleeding internally."

Lina made the sign of the cross. "Dios Mio. Carrie must be beside herself with worry. And his mother is here too, no?"

"I need to be there." Sara bolted from the couch, passing her father-in-law who had stepped into the room just in time to hear the story.

Gil nodded at Lina. "I'll call with an update when we know something."

**Crime Lab  
****1:51 a.m**.

Catherine and Jas were in the break room filling their coffee mugs when Warrick hustled into the room.

"Nothing new on Nick," Catherine announced, figuring her normally laidback partner's urgency was rooted in concern for his buddy.

Warrick ignored her. "Please leave us, Jas and shut the door behind you. Thanks."

Catherine watched with wide eyes as Jas scurried out and Warrick fumed. "What's going on?"

As soon as the door shut he blasted, "You worked a case at your father's hotel. Not just a case. Nick's case. God dammit! You know it could taint the case and ruin Nick's chance at nailing the guy who put him in the hospital."

"Would you relax and…"

"No!" Shoving his hands on his hips he heatedly continued, "Because you're also jeopardizing my job. I'm tired of you thinking just because we're together, you can do whatever you want to at work. Sharing a bed does **not **mean we share this job. It's two different worlds, Cath and things need to change."

Pissed, she yelled back, "There was no one else here to work the case!"

"You intercepted the message and I never got a chance to make a decision on how to handle the situation!"

"**I'm sorry**! I wanted to nail the bastard, okay!" Getting in his face she snipped, "It had nothing to do with my father and everything to do with Nick. You know how connected things are in this city. If those goons heard about Nick going to the hospital they would have disappeared."

"You could have asked the cops to seal the scene and then sat tight."

"Seal the entire hotel? Not without a warrant and by that time they would have bolted."

Huffing over to the couch he took a seat.

She followed and said, "Those guys won't complain about the handling of this case. They wouldn't dare."

"Why, Cath?"

She clammed up.

"Because they'd be causing trouble for Sam and he'd have them taught a lesson? **That's **what I'm talking about." Dropping his head in his hands Warrick exhaled sharply. "It's too complicated."

"What?"

"Everything."

"Meaning us?"

"I don't know what I mean."

"Well that helps." When she saw him glance up she apologized. "Sorry…sorry." Rubbing her temples she suggested, "I'm tense…you're tense. Can we just hold off talking about this until we know Nick's out of the woods?"

Standing up he said, "You're off the case."

"Understood."

Meeting her gaze he nodded. "Thank you for that uncharacteristic show of respect for your supervisor's wishes." He headed for the door. "Let me know if you hear anything on Nicky and I'll do the same."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****2:05 a.m. **

Sitting on the couch mindlessly watching TV, Lina and Ron nervously waited for Gil to call from the hospital with word. Although they had only met Nick recently and barely knew him, they had seen enough of the love between him and his family and friends to know his loss would be devastating. Sitting there in the living room illuminated by CNN, Ron and Lina were concerned first and foremost about the impact such a loss would have on their own family member, Sara.

_Sitting at a picnic table with Lina, Nick and Sara, Ron enthusiastically said, "I'm honored you're letting me be a part of your B-PAC charity. Seriously…I've done a lot of philanthropic work over the years and it has always been limited to 'thank you Mr. Grissom for your generous monetary contribution', this is the first time a charity has valued my thoughts as much as my cash." _

_Nick smiled warmly, "Sir, I'd feel real guilty taking your cash without giving you a say on how things were run, and from what Sara has told me about you, we're very lucky to have your expertise." _

_Ron chuckled lightly. "Nick, after meeting your mother I'm sure she insisted on formality from you growing up, but please drop the **Sir** and just call me Ron. Sir was what my father insisted I call him, when really his title should have been…"_

_"Guero!"__ Lina's sharp tone said it all. "There are children running around and I know how you get when you start talking about your old man, old man." _

_"Sorry." Ron pointed at his supposed 'date'. "It's kind of cute how she keeps me in line, huh? Luckily Gil has Sara to do the same for him, and from the little time I've spent observing Carrie with you, Nick…I know you're on a tight leash too."_

_Laughing, Sara elbowed her pseudo-brother. "Don't feel too bad for this hound dog because he ran leashless all over this city for years." _

_Nick fought back with, "You're calling **me** a dog? Hell…you're the one who followed Gris around like a lovesick pup for half a decade." Chuckling at Sara's blush, he informed Ron and Lina, "And even though she stood in front of him panting and wagging her tail daily…Gris never came sniffing. OW!" he blurted from the hard pinch she gave him. "I guess that's what they mean when they say the truth hurts." _

_After another pinch Sara informed him, "Now that we're having an official wedding, I think the statute of limitations on dysfunctional Gil and Sara jokes has run out, Bro."_

_"So, tell me, Sis," Nick pinched her back. "When does the statute of limitations on my womanizing run out?" _

_"At **your** wedding of course."_

"She thinks of him like a brother," Ron stated, breaking the silence in the room. "The poor kid has worked hard to create this little family around her. She's already had to leave her house tonight and now this. And Gil…he's crawled into his old shell. I don't know what to do to help. I hate feeling so powerless."

"I know what it's like leaving your home behind," Lina commented as she reached for a tissue. "My husband and I came to this country with the clothes on our backs. I never saw my brother again…he died in Cuba a few months after I escaped with my husband. Those were desperate times. Juan and I stayed with my cousin. There were twenty of us in a two bedroom house." Glancing around the posh Presidential Suite a bittersweet smile found her lips. "I didn't even know places like this existed back then. We thought we made it big when we got a studio apartment and could afford beef on Sundays." Bringing the tissue to her eyes she gingerly blotted away the drops.

"You know my story isn't much different than yours. I left behind everything I knew to take Jillian to California and have Gil. And you're right, it was scary but, for just a small slice of time it was fantastic because the love was there." Shaking his head he released a nostalgic smile. "We were so naïve…we really thought our love was all we needed to keep things going."

"It was," Lina remarked as she looked over at Ron. "But you both forgot to lean on it when the time came. Juan and I never forgot. That day when they called from the hospital saying he was seriously injured, I ran there. I was working a job in a Laundromat and I remember dropping the shirts and just running. I didn't even know where the hospital was but somehow I got there. To this day I don't know how." The tears streamed freely down her cheeks now. "I got there just in time to say goodbye. I held his hand…I brushed back his hair and I told him I loved him from the minute we met and never stopped. I saw the love in his eyes…he saw it in mine and then he passed. The love was there until the end…and it lives on in memories."

Ron reached for a tissue for her and softly confessed, "After my heart operation I remember waking up in the ICU with all those wires and machines. They had me tied to the bed in the ICU so I wouldn't panic and rip the stuff out." He shivered at the memory. "I didn't know where I was or what was wrong. I thought I was paralyzed because I couldn't move my arms and legs." His voice crackled with emotion. "I remember thinking I wished I hadn't made it if this was the way it was going to be…trapped in a hospital bed or confined to a wheelchair drooling. I was terrified." Gazing into her eyes he said, "Then I saw you…and you smiled at me. Suddenly the fear subsided."

"Because the love was there," she whispered as she searched his eyes. "I saw it in your eyes too."

Reaching out, Ron slipped his hand in Lina's and brought it to his lips for a tender kiss. "Yes."

Her tears switching from sorrow to joy she smiled. "And it will be there until the end."

Overwhelmed by the moment, they snuggled into each other's arms and resumed watching the muted TV. In silence they let the love flow between them and waited for a phone call that couldn't come soon enough for two people who knew loss and didn't wish others to feel its pain that night.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Hospital Waiting Area drama is often a reality. Hospital staff all have a few good stories. When my son was born he had to have some corrective surgery and one of the times I witnessed another family across the room breakout into a huge fight worthy of hospital security. Emotions and adrenaline are running high so people are uncharacteristically charged sometimes. Grissom would naturally be uncomfortable in this scenario and I hope that came across although he forced a little closeness by joining Jim in cheering up Carrie (I heard you had a good time in Flagstaff…). Drew isn't off the hook quite yet in case you thought he got off light. In this chapter there were hints as to why Drew is the way he is or did what he did…some more will follow down the road.

Cath and Warrick fans…finally a little tension for the couple. Warrick would naturally NOT like Sam Braun for several reasons and until now he's been able to ignore the issue…look for that to change.

The glimpse at Tawny and Drew's meeting has several purposes, the immediate ones to show how they met and give you a closer look at the pre-Greg Tawny (and her fake personality as 'Glitter'). A few people were a little shocked by Tawny and Greg's sporadic immaturity in the last chapter but that's exactly where I envision them right now…maturing but backsliding a little along the way. California will be a BIG deal for them on their journey to maturity.

I also had a couple of people question Tawny's lack of a problem with Becca touching Greg so I wanted to clarify. If Greg had been getting it on for the sake of getting it on, she would have had a problem BUT because he was leading Becca on to seek revenge, she was thrilled because she's never been the girl chosen (as evidenced by her pain from Drew picking her to be his 'second' woman and her admitting she probably would have, pre-Greg, thought that was a good offer for a girl like her). Also, being an ex-dancer gives Tawny a higher comfort level for nudity/touching plus she still feels awkward that Greg has a lot less experience than her. So, in her quirky brain this made them a little more even LOL. Also…she won't be keeping the bracelet…she has a nice plan for it and you'll find it out in chapter 12.

Thanks toMisty-J, Rojajii and SouthernCSI for your reviews!.

**Next chapter:** The gang waits for word on Nick and passes the time with a little levity; Cath and Warrick go another round; Ryan and Sean are back in the mix; Drew gets a front row seat to his trial…Mama Stokes style; it's date time for Irving and Sofia; and Mike Rodgers's reaction to Nick's trauma. **Posting:** Sunday Morning

Thanks for reading!

Maggs


	10. Chapter 10

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 10**

**August 30, 2005  
****University Trauma Center  
****2:55 a.m. **

Two and a half hours since Nick went to the OR, the waiting area was now clear except for his family and friends. And as sometimes happens in these situations, those waiting forced themselves beyond the trauma and had defaulted into a surreal calm.

While Jim, Greg, Paul and Grissom passed the time playing cards at one of several tables in the room, Carrie, Tawny and Sara sat around another, snacking on vending machine food and chatting. Jillian, having become horribly overwhelmed by the implosion of her family, was parked in a lounge chair resting her eyes.

"Tawny…" Carrie was anxious to start a new happy topic when the conversation died down. "I know I'm a bit out of it but, did I hear correctly before when Greg introduced himself as your fiancé? If that's true then why don't I see a ring?"

"Well…" After glancing over her shoulder to wink at her man, Tawny confessed, "He accidentally blurted his proposal but the ring is in California so...we're considering it part one of a two-part proposal. So, technically…we're only fifty-percent engaged."

"Yeah…" Sara chuckled, "That's sounds so Greg." After cycling through a variety of emotions and shedding a pile of tears with Carrie, she was grateful for the upbeat turn in mood.

Joining in the laughter Carrie added, "Since Greg accidentally got Tawny two-parts pregnant, I'm feeling pretty confident he'll follow through with part two."

"I've been thinking about what you said, Carrie…how everything happens for a reason, even the bad stuff." Tawny whimsically announced, "I see now that Drew had a purpose. If he hadn't been such an unbelievable asshole, I might not have been as receptive to Greg that night I met him at Tweeters. I only invited him over to cuddle because he was so sweet and sensitive, the complete opposite of that rat bastard." She giggled when she saw Sara's raised brow. "Okay…okay…I also invited him because he said he had a trust fund but that was the **old** me…not the **new** me. Now I definitely know what's important in a man and his bank account isn't even in the top ten."

Sara rolled her eyes at the memory of Gil confession he fed Greg those lines. "I'm thrilled that you're eternally grateful for my husband encouraging Greg to lie to you."

Tawny bubbled, "Hey, if Greg spoke on his own, who knows what idiotic things he would have said!"

"I heard that!" Greg announced from across the room. "And can I just say I'm really glad we're playing for Skittles over here and not money because between Grissom, and your shark brother, Carrie, I'm about to lose the shirt off my back."

As the women laughed the men anted up.

"Now, Chuckles…" Jim prodded, "…did I hear right before when you introduced yourself as Tawny's fiancé? Where's the ring?"

"Locked in my mother's bedroom dresser."

Grissom choked on his coffee then said, "I know what Freud would say about that."

"It's only there because she's hiding it from my father," he explained before realizing how abnormal that sounded too.

Paul tossed a few Skittles in the pot while laughing. "As long as he's not planning to bring his mom on the honeymoon I'm not worried."

Grissom looked to Greg.

In response, Greg threw a nasty look and two Skittles at him.

"Look how irresponsible you are with money," Grissom half-joked. "You have a fiancée now, soon she'll be your wife and you'll have children."

"Yeah…then the pressure really starts." Paul folded and sighed. "I left a message on my boss's answering machine a half hour ago giving my two weeks notice."

The men all turned their eyes on Paul.

"This was the final straw." Paul grabbed his bottle of Coke and explained, "What if I had been on that red-eye when this happened? Or in New York or Ohio? I'm never home. I'm just like Drew, focused on the money and the clients more than my family…without the mistress on the side of course. Wendy's going to pick up nursing shifts and I'm looking for something local. We'll figure it out." He paused for a sip. "Life's too short and a crisis has a way of putting life in perspective."

Grissom nodded and spoke softly. "A crisis is what brought Sara and me together."

Greg chuckled. "A crisis is what happened **after **Tawny and I got together."

Jim glanced over at Jillian sitting in the corner and thought of his own family. "I hate to be the killjoy but…sometimes a crisis can tear people and families apart."

Paul knew the feeling since his own father almost killed him during their family crisis. "True, but no matter how bad it looks at the time, if they really work at it, it's possible to recover. My family ended up being closer than ever after our ordeal." He shuffled the cards and warned, "Of course it got a hell of a lot worse before it got better."

The sound of the phone ringing at the clerk's desk brought all conversation to a halt.

Sara and Tawny reached out, each taking one of Carrie's hands.

A minute later the clerk hung up the phone and smiled. "He's in recovery and listed as stable. Surgery went very well. The doctor will be up shortly to brief you."

Too energized to remain seated, Carrie bolted up from the table. Seconds later everyone followed her lead. "Did you hear that Jillian!"

"Yes, Honey." The weary and relieved woman stood to receive her future daughter-in-law's hug. "I knew he'd fight to stay with you."

Sara slipped into Gil's waiting arms. "That's a relief." The kiss he placed on the top of her head warmed her body. "After tonight, I don't care where I live as long as I get to live there with you."

Tawny threw her arms around Greg and let her tears of relief flow as she kissed him.

Jim glanced over at Paul laughing, "I don't know about you but, this is bringing back memories of nightmare New Years Eve Parties…you know…it's midnight and I'm the only one without a kiss."

Just then Carrie bounded over and planted one on Jim's cheek. "That's for those extra five minutes you got for Nicky! You're getting a spotlight dance with me at the wedding for sure!" Jubilant, she kissed him again. "And I'll be making a recommendation to my fiancé for a new candidate for Best Man…The Brass Man!"

Sara jumped up on a chair with a bottle of water. "To The Brass Man!"

Overwhelmed by the outpouring of gratitude Brass deflected, "Look out, Boom Boom is dancing on a chair."

At the desk, the clerk watched the group rejoice while thinking…they have got to be one of the oddest, most entertaining, severely bipolar groups I've ever seen…I'm gonna miss 'em when they move on. Sighing, she got up to replenish the tissue boxes, since the pretty girl with the big boobs had gone through most of them.

"To Greg and Tawny!" Sara cheered in adrenaline-infused joy. "Who are fifty percent engaged!"

"And two-hundred percent pregnant!" Greg added while holding his future wife from behind with his hands over her womb. "I love you," he whispered in her ear while the group cheered. "I can't wait to slip that ring on your finger in California."

**712 Via Diabla  
****San Marino, California  
****3:01 a.m. **

Unable to sleep, Becca found herself in her gourmet kitchen pouring a jumbo glass of Merlot and obsessing over what had happened earlier. The house felt eerily emptier than usual tonight after hearing Greg's soothing voice and infectious laugh echoing in it earlier.

With her wine glass in hand she stepped onto the patio and breathed in the early morning air, the sound of crickets in the bushes finally providing a little comforting noise.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Greg's t-shirt crumpled on the ground next to the hot tub and walked to retrieve it.

Once there she brought it to her face, the softness of it reminding her of the comfort he always brought her back in the day. A comfort she now realized she took for granted too many times.

Bringing it to her nose she realized it carried his scent. Closing her eyes she mourned how she went from being the girl he always longed for to the woman he deplored. Although she knew everything he said was true, it cut like a knife because it came from him…the one person she was sure would never let her down. Greg was sweet and sensitive, two things she didn't know how to be to others. Sniffing the tee she wondered why his traits never rubbed off on her, like his scent on the cotton fabric of the shirt.

Glancing up at the empty house filled with expensive things and bad memories she wished she could return to high school and do it all over again. Sadly she recalled Greg's words when she asked him if he had been leading her on the whole time_… No, I came here to see if there really was something undeniable between us. _That's when it hit her. Maybe it wasn't too late, she thought while remembering more of his declarations…_Fifteen minutes in exchange for fifteen years. Since I'm a generous person I'll consider us even. See ya at the club! _A smile unfurled on her forlorn face. He's generous…he said we're even…then he said he'd see me at the club. Giddy with excitement she declared, "It was his way of telling me he's willing to start over and give me a second chance!"

**University Trauma Center  
****3:34 a.m. **

While the rest of the group was outside the hospital making phone calls and getting air, Carrie, Paul, Jillian and Grissom, at Carrie's request, met with Nick's doctor in the OR waiting room.

After quick introductions, Dr. Raj Singh, the forty-four year old surgeon, began his debrief. "Well, I have excellent news to report. Although there was extensive damage to the spleen, I was able to salvage it. Additionally, aside from the rib fractures, I didn't find any other serious damage. The kidney, which we were initially concerned about, was unscathed. Since Mr. Stokes was in excellent health at the time of the injury and because there were no complications during surgery, I expect him to make a quick recovery."

Carrie breathed a notable sigh of relief.

"Even though he's listed as stable, Mr. Stokes will have to stay in the ICU for twenty-four to forty-eight hours for close observation. This is due to the intricacy of the surgery, particularly, the vast number of repairs required to preserve the spleen. In the ICU they'll monitor him for signs of new bleeding from missed or insufficiently repaired vascular structures that would require a follow up surgery. If all goes well he'll be able to leave the hospital in five or six days."

"When can we see him?" Paul asked on behalf of the two silent women.

"He'll be in recovery for at least another hour and then be transported to the ICU floor. You'll want to check in with the clerk in the ICU visitor's lounge and then a nurse will come and get you when he's settled." The doctor began shaking hands. "And now for my public service announcement…since Mr. Stokes went through a total of six units of blood, two in the ER and four during surgery, I would encourage you or any other family members and friends, if they're able, to make a blood donation to our bank. Unfortunately, our state is notorious for low blood donations. During the summer we typically have less than a one day's supply of Type O on hand." He smiled, "I don't think I have to give you the '_blood donation saves lives speech'_ because you learned that first hand tonight. Without that Type O readily available, Mr. Stokes wouldn't have made it."

"I'll definitely donate because I'm O Negative, and I'll encourage everyone else to as well," Carrie assured him while shaking his hand. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Great…and take care," he said before heading back to the elevator.

"Okay then…" Paul squeezed his sister's shoulders. "I need to call Wendy with an update. Will you be okay here?"

Carrie nodded and smiled. "For the first time tonight I think I can say yes…I'll be okay." She glanced over at Jillian who she knew was relieved about Nick but suffering from the fallout. "Do you want to go right to the ICU waiting area or…"

"I need to step outside and make some phone calls," Jillian announced in a daze. "Now that we know Nicky's safe, it's time for us to start dealing with the other consequences of this mess."

**Crime Lab  
****Warrick's**** Office  
****3:41 a.m. **

When Warrick clicked off the speakerphone Catherine relaxed in her chair. "Sara sounded very upbeat."

"She's confident that he'll be okay." He sat back in his chair and exhaled. "Now so am I."

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

"Before." Catherine studied her partner's eyes. "You were right, I intercepted the message and went to The Tempest to control things, but not because I wanted to help my father, because I wanted to make sure we nailed the bastard who hurt Nick." Seeing him struggle with the statement she prodded, "What?"

"He's not your father, Cath. He's the guy who got your mom pregnant. I have one of those out there somewhere too. If he showed up at my door I wouldn't give him the time of day and not because I'm bitter…because it's unnecessary. Common DNA doesn't mean anything to me. The people I consider my family don't share alleles with me and I don't feel like I'm missing anything because my sperm donor isn't in my life."

"You think I should have told Sam to go to hell and keep his check?"

"Cath…" Tense over Nick, among other things, he held his tongue.

"Say it."

He shook his head.

"I can take it," she assured him. "Say it."

Meeting her gaze Warrick said, "You're letting him buy a piece of you. Is it really that different than when guys stuffed bills in your g-string? Worse yet…Sam Braun's money is tainted…it's blood money. We're busting our asses day in and day out to lock criminals away. You're letting a criminal put your daughter through school at the same time you're trying to instill morals and values in her. How screwed up is that?"

She exhaled sharply. "Wow."

Relieved he got it off his chest but sorry to cause her pain he quietly said, "Which one of those statements **isn't** true, Cath?"

"None of the above." Standing up Catherine replied, "I need some air."

**Sam Braun's Home Office  
****3:49 a.m. **

Blane, the hotel manager for The Tempest, stood in front of his employer's desk shaking in his shoes and breathing erratically. Behind him were Mr. Braun's bodyguards, Gleason and Sully, two men reputed for their loyalty and lack of conscience.

"Mr. Braun," Blane pleaded, "I was told by our security staff that the camera in service elevator B was not feeding into the tapes. That's why I instructed Lenny and Brutus to use it."

"You were **told**," Sam clarified while leaning back in his chair. "But did you **check**?"

"No." He lowered his head.

"Not even after Brutus and Lenny told you they reprimanded the disruptive guests in that elevator?"

"No, Sir." His eyes remained fixed on the area rug below him and his thoughts centered on tales of men being taken out and rolled up in carpets such as the one he was standing on. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Braun."

"Oh, me too." Sam signaled for his staff to escort the man to the door. "You have thirty minutes to disappear on your own, or Gleason and Sully will help you."

"Thank you, Sir."

"You're overstaying your welcome." Sam buzzed for his personal assistant. "Veronica…what's the latest on Nick Stokes? And it better be good news."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****3:52 a.m. **

From her position on the couch Lina watched Ron smile as he held the phone to his ear. It was obviously good news.

"That's great, Sara," Ron nodded in Lina's direction. "So, you and Gil will be here in a half hour?"

Lina jumped up to make sure the place was in order. "Are they hungry?" The Presidential Suites had twenty-four hour room service access to anything the resort hotel had to offer.

Ron nodded. "We'll have something waiting for you when you get here. After all, I need to make sure my grandson is well fed." He laughed into the phone. "Sorry…it's just a wish I have since I know Gil would prefer a daughter so he doesn't have to play out the father and son thing in reverse."

Chuckling, Lina plucked the Room Service binder off the bookshelf. "Do they want breakfast or something else?"

**The Blakes  
****3:58 a.m. **

"Chocolate chip pancakes," Ryan answered when his mother said she'd make him anything he wanted. Both he and his brother had been jarred awake by the phone when their father called with word on Nick. Whenever he was worried about something Ryan liked to eat and the news about his future uncle had him on edge.

"Nothing for me, thanks," Sean remarked while taking a seat at the kitchen table. The first thing to go when he was scared or nervous was his appetite and the thought of his uncle almost dying had him terrified.

"Boys, I'm sorry you overheard me on the phone with your dad." Wendy walked over to the table and took a seat. "I didn't want you to find out that way."

Sean's voice quavered, "But dad said he's okay, right?"

"He is." Wendy patted her son's arm. "I'm a nurse, remember? I know an excellent prognosis when I hear one."

"But you're a **burn **nurse, not a **spleen** nurse," Ryan reminded her.

Sean had to correct him. "There's no such thing as a **spleen** nurse. Nurses are categorized by…"

"Speaking of nursing…" Wendy announced removing the attention off Ryan's blunder and Sean's precociousness, "I'm going back to work again."

"What?" Sean's disappointment rang in his voice. "Dad's hardly here and now you'll be gone too?"

"That's just it…I'm going to work so your dad can take a different job, one without travel, and be home more."

"Really!" Unable to contain his excitement, Ryan bolted from his chair. "He'll be able to come to my games again?"

"That's right." The ecstatic looks on her sons' faces warmed her heart and she teased, "Are you happy you're going to see your dad more, or are you happy you're going to see me a little less?"

The brothers declared in unison, "Happy to see dad!"

**Boulevard Station  
****Holding Cell  
****4:50 a.m. **

"Son…" Judge Stokes stood outside the cell where his son Andrew was sleeping on a metal bench.

Upon stirring, Drew saw a man looming over him through the bars. "Dad?"

"They say an innocent man paces the cell while a guilty man gets a good night sleep."

"Dad!" Drew jumped to his feet and gripped the bars. "Is Nicky okay?"

Judge Stokes paused to study his eldest son's eyes and when he saw fear and remorse he answered, "Yes, he's in stable condition and is expected to be make a full recovery."

Relief consumed him. "Thank God."

"I wish I could say the same for you."

Drew saw _The Look_, the one that every Stokes kid lived in fear of seeing on their father's face…disdain, and never in all his years had Drew seen it as intense as he was now.

As the cell opened Judge Stokes coolly announced, "I've bailed you out because your mother has requested your presence at the hospital. We'll stop at my hotel first and clean you up. She doesn't need to see you in that bloody shirt." With that he turned and walked down the hall.

**University Trauma Center  
****ICU Nurses Station  
****5:01 a.m. **

Before allowing Carrie and Jillian in to see Nick, who had been transported and settled into the ICU, his nurse Eileen, a tenured ICU RN with a friendly smile and a soothing voice, briefed them on what to expect.

"Mr. Stokes had no complications in the recovery room and no issues upon transfer to the ICU. He's doing great."

Carrie and Jillian smiled along with the nurse.

"When you see him, please remember the positive things I've said about his condition because he'll look much worse than he's doing…that's why we prepare family members for what they'll see. All these things I'm about to point out are typical and shouldn't be cause for alarm." As usual she saw the loved ones tense. "He's still on a ventilator because he's weak from the blood loss and the heavy sedation. He's tied to the bed so when he rouses, he doesn't accidentally rip out anything or strain because we wouldn't want him causing any pressure on the abdomen."

Breathing through the nurse's words Carrie prepared to see Nick looking the same as her mother when she was dying.

After giving her audience a minute to absorb information Eileen continued, "He has an arterial line to constantly monitor blood gases, a nasogastric tube to suction his stomach and prevent distension in the abdomen, an IV line for fluids, a Foley catheter, and he is hooked up to several pieces of monitoring equipment. On top of that, his face is bruised from the assault, with his eyes, mouth and his cheeks swollen and lacerated. Lastly, his arm is bandaged because his gunshot wound from the previous night was re-treated. But remember what I said…how he looks and the status of his condition are two different things." Reaching out she took Carrie's arm and reassured her, "He's doing great."

Swallowing hard Carrie squeaked, "I'm ready."

As they walked down the hall Eileen spoke directly to Carrie. "When he wakes, your fiancée will most likely be very disoriented and frightened. He won't know how he got here, he won't be able to move and once the sedative effects of his medication wear off, he'll realize he's covered in equipment and surrounded by machines." At the large window in front of Nick's room Eileen sweetly told the trembling woman, "As his loved one, your job will be to calm him down as quickly as you can. We don't want his blood pressure precipitously rising for too long because it will be pumping blood through the newly ligated spleen. Okay?"

Holding Jillian's hand, Carrie stared at Nick through the window and forced all her fears for him, and memories of her mother, deep inside. "Count on it."

"Great." Eileen flashed an affable smile. "Talking and touching is highly encouraged, just be careful not to disturb the equipment. Use his name often and remain as calm and upbeat as possible. He'll follow your lead…if you look scared, he'll get scared. Okay…you've washed your hands and you don't need a mask so you can go on in."

Jillian didn't fare as well as Carrie when it came to putting up a brave front. "It's like seeing him in nursery after he was born premature..." Shaking she released Carrie's hand. "…so helpless and sick." Only Jillian and her husband knew the truth that after her sixth pregnancy, Jillian was advised because of a birthing complication that required surgery to her uterus, not to have another child. Taking the warning seriously, Bill Stokes immediately had a vasectomy. Nick was the unplanned result when the vasectomy failed and when he arrived seven weeks early due to his mother going into pre-term labor, his fate was questionable for weeks.

"Just like then…he's going to pull through with flying colors," Carrie reminded her as she hurried to Nick's side, thrilled to have him close again even if he looked more machine than human. After a quick survey she reached out and brushed her fingers through his hair, it being one of the few places free of tubes and wires. "It's Carrie, Honey. You're doing great, Nicky. You'll be back on your feet in no time, you'll see. I love you so much." Leaning forward she placed a kiss on his forehead. "Hell of a week we're having, huh? We really should have stayed in Flagstaff."

**Jim Brass's Apartment  
****6:01 a.m. **

Knowing that the reception desk at Whispering Pines was staffed beginning from six a.m., Jim took a seat in his black leather recliner and punched the facility's number into the phone.

"Whispering Pines. How may I assist you?"

"Yes…my name is Jim Brass. I enrolled my daughter, Ellie Brass, in your program on Saturday. I was wondering if I could speak with her."

"One moment while I pull up her file."

Slouching in the chair Jim closed his eyes.

"Mr. Brass, I'm sorry but your daughter has not been given phone privileges yet."

"Oh." Deflated he asked, "Are you permitted to relay a message to her from me?"

"Yes, certainly."

"Tell her…" Jim stared at the photo of Ellie he had on the book shelf. "Tell her that her dad said hi and that he can't wait to see her on visiting day. Tell her I'll bring her favorite candy. Okay? And tell her that I love her."

"I have it written and I will place it in her mailbox."

"Thank you." After hanging up the phone he closed his eyes. The events of the last twelve hours finally catching up to him, he promptly fell asleep.

**The Mandalay Bay  
****6:14 a.m. **

Once Gil and Sara were alone in the guest bedroom they simultaneously said, "Did you notice?" Which was quickly followed by a mutual, "Yes!"

"Something happened while we were gone," Sara surmised. "Something big." She couldn't contain her glee. "I saw your father rest his hand on Lina's shoulder and then she reached up and put her hand on top of his."

"They didn't think we were looking."

"But you really can't hide from CSIs," she joked. "Are you okay with this or is it weird?"

"Uh…" Gil tossed his shirt and asked, "You mean thinking of my father with another woman than my mother? Or thinking that geriatric sex could be occurring down the hall?"

Sara covered her mouth as she laughed.

"Frankly I find the fact that my father could still be getting hot and heavy at his age encouraging…after all, I inherit my prowess from him."

"Your **prowess**?" Sara laughed harder. "Sorry…I blame the laughing on my need to release a little tension after a really emotional night. I'm not laughing at your claim to have prowess…because your prowess is definitely there, Honey." She laughed harder still.

While he removed his trousers Gil proudly reminded her, "And my dad can't be taking Viagra because of his heart condition."

"Imagine if **you** took Viagra." Her giggles were uncontrollable as she continued exaggerating and her stress melted away. "I probably wouldn't survive the night."

"You know…" Dropping back on the bed Gil laughed with his wife. "Warrick, Nick and Greg all have taken Viagra."

"You know this how?" Sara asked in disbelief as she crawled under the covers to join her husband in a power nap before heading into work. "And if it has anything to do with the four of you being naked together…don't tell me."

Propping up on his elbow he told her. "Nick and I were working a case one night about two years ago and this pharmaceutical rep gave us a bunch of coupons for free Viagra when accompanied by prescriptions from a physician. When we got back to the lab and talked about it…you know the boys…they're competitive. They decided to get them filled and see how long they could last while under the influence."

Sara shook her head. "Yeah…that really is very easy to believe."

Gil nodded. "I was the only one who didn't use the coupon. The following Monday they were in the locker room discussing the results."

"Well, Greg had age on his side but…" Sara laughed. "I have this feeling he ended up armed, dangerous and alone on Saturday night."

"You are correct. Apparently he thought he was going to get lucky, went to the men's room to pop the pill but the girl left with someone else while he was in there fixing his hair."

Shaking off the image building in her head Sara shivered, "And now, right before I try to sleep, I'm stuck thinking about how Greg dealt with his drug-induced super boner. Ugh…you guys really talk about this stuff in the locker room when Cath and I aren't there?"

"They didn't know I was there either," Gil laughed. "They thought they were alone."

"So who won, Warrick or Nick?"

"My pager went off and I never found out, but really Sara…" Gil tossed her a look. "…you're a smart woman, don't you know the answer?"

"Ahh…got it." Chuckling, she snuggled up. "Warrick and Nick's **dates **were the ultimate winners that night."

**Irving's Apartment  
****7:01 a.m. **

When he peered out the peephole of his condo's door Irving was surprised to see Sofia ninety minutes early. Thinking back he clearly remembered her saying she'd be by to pick him up at eight thirty for their drive to the mountains.

"I'm early!" She cheerily announced through the door. "I like to surprise my dates at their place so I can see what they're really like, rather then getting the phony version you get when you're on time. It's also a good way to see if they're sleeping with other people before they move on to you."

"Uh…" Still sweaty from his five mile run Irving glanced around his unkempt abode. "Yeah…you'll be getting a glimpse at the real me alright. I haven't had time to shove everything into closets and put away my Xbox and all the other stuff that will let you know I spend a little too much time alone here."

"That's much better than finding a wife in your bed," she laughed. "Let me in…I come bearing healthy protein shakes because I know you don't do bad carbs or sugar. Greg warned me not to show up with Krispy Kremes."

Opening the door Irving enthusiastically greeted, "Protein shake just happens to be the magic word after I run. Now I don't have to make one." She looked fantastic with her long blonde hair in a high ponytail and dressed for the hike in khaki cargo shorts, a white tank and beige trail-worn Lowa's.

"Hi." She held out the shake.

"Hi." He took it and kissed her cheek. "Luckily I brushed already. Well…uh…come on in and enjoy the mess and my odor."

Walking by his solid six foot five frame of ripping muscle, which was covered only by blue jogging shorts and a half dozen tattoos, Sofia tried not to drool. "Quite an eclectic collection of tats you have there."

"Some of them I'd rather not have," he admitted while shutting the door.

"Why's that?" With her eyes wide she took in the ambiance of the obvious bachelor pad.

"I can tell you're in CSI mode." He sweetly laughed. "You're giving my condo and I the critical eye and trying to figure out everything about us."

"Well…" Taking a seat on the couch she relaxed. "You can't judge a book by its cover. You have to scour every page and figure out what it's really trying to say…or hide."

Leaning against the wall he ran his palm over his shaved head. "After you use this approach with a guy does he usually want to see you again?"

"No." After a quick sip of her shake she informed him. "But it's not a loss when this approach freaks out a guy because the right guy for me won't get freaked out by this approach."

"Ah." After studying his guest for a moment Irving remarked, "Okay, I'm gonna grab a shower." Then, on the way to the bedroom he encouraged her. "Snoop all you want because I've got nothing to hide…except some dust bunnies but, who doesn't." At the door he winked, "And Ms. CSI, I'll answer all your questions under oath later."

"Wow."

"That response is always a good sign on a date." Stepping into the bedroom he laughed. "Now, I'm locking the door, not because I'm hiding something but because I don't know you very well and you may try to jump me in the bathroom. I like to get to know a person a little better before I …let them see my rubber ducky collection. If you get through with your investigation before I'm done, play some Xbox."

**The Blakes  
****7:22 a.m. **

When Paul Blake walked through his front door he believed he had stepped into the Twilight Zone. There, on the floor in front of the TV were his two sons happily playing Xbox. "Uh…" At a loss for words, Paul stood there trying to decide what shocked him the most. First he considered Sean touching the Xbox, which he usually referred to as an X-treme waste of time that X-tracts IQ points from a guy's brain via the joystick. The next contender was Ryan and Sean getting along and laughing together. After a minute he decided the most shocking thing was that Ryan was teaching Sean something and Sean was actually paying attention to his brother's lesson.

"Dude…you really should have punted."

"What's a punt?"

Paul cringed waiting for Ryan to rip Sean for not knowing such a basic thing.

"A punt is when you kick the football without letting it hit the ground and you kick it downfield to your own team instead of the opposing team. You do it so the opposing team has further to go to make a touchdown or a field goal when they take possession."

"Wen…" Paul called out to his wife. "Did you medicate the boys?"

"Dad!" Ryan and Sean dropped their joysticks and jumped for joy. "Mom told us you quit your job!"

Paul fell back two steps when his sons rushed him. "If I had known quitting my job would make the two of you instantly get along I would have given my notice a lot sooner."

Strolling into the living room wiping her hands on a dishrag Wendy broke the news to her husband, "It's nothing you did I'm afraid. The boys overheard me on the phone talking about the fight between Nick and his brother and they got scared, thinking they would end up the same way one day."

Sean clarified, "With me being the one in the hospital after Ryan pummeled me for admonishing him for receiving C's in everything but Physical Education."

Then it was Ryan's turn. "Or me being the one in the hospital because, Sean poisoned me with one of his freaky science experiments for calling him a super geek one time too many."

Wendy tossed the rag over her shoulder. "So, I suggested they spend a little time in opposite worlds to understand each other better. Before Xbox, Sean helped Ryan organize his school supplies and review the seventh grade curriculum outline for the year on the district website."

"How long do you boys think you can keep this up?" Paul asked.

"I don't know." Ryan shrugged. "Hey! If we do good can we get something special at Christmas?"

Proving old habits die hard Sean corrected, "If we do well, may we get something special at Christmas?"

"Stop copying me, Dude."

"I wasn't copying you. I was correcting your grammar."

"That's even more annoying!"

"Boys!" Wendy warned, "Remember your new mantra…don't be a Drew."

**University Trauma Center  
****7:55 a.m. **

With his father three paces in front of him Drew somberly walked down the hospital corridor.

"Your mother called when you were in the shower at my hotel. She asked that I bring you to the visitor's lounge on the third floor," Judge Stokes coolly remarked as they stepped into the elevator.

The two men completed the ride staring straight ahead without exchanging a word.

When the doors opened, Drew let his father take the lead again and followed like a disobedient child with his eyes boring into the floor and his shoulders sagging. He felt ridiculous wearing the red t-shirt that said _I partied hard in Vegas _which his father had picked out, no doubt purposely, from the hotel gift shop. To complete his outfit, he had on his wrinkled black trousers and the white hospital slippers Jim Brass had given him earlier. To compliment his disheveled appearance, his nose was now puffed to twice its size and both of his eyes were a dark shade of purplish-red.

"This way," Judge Stokes pointed at the sign. "It won't be long now."

Upon hearing his father's courtroom tone, Drew suddenly got the feeling he was being marched to a sentencing. A minute later he confirmed his gut instinct was correct. There, standing on one side of the lounge were all five of his sisters, his mother and his wife, each wearing the same disgusted expression.

On the other side of the room he saw Greg holding Tawny's hand. She had been home since Drew last saw her and Tawny was once again made up to the nines wearing an outrageously sexy dress, sporting the diamond bracelet he had given her and looking like she stepped out of a fashion magazine.

With all eyes on him, Drew cleared his throat. "Uh…"

"Don't speak, Son," Judge Stokes warned. "You've said far too much already."

In silence he watched his lover cross the room and stand in front of his wife, who at six-one in heels, towered over Tawny. In comparison to his lover's provocative appearance, Melissa was also dressed to impress in stylish designer clothes that flattered her currently size-twelve figure. Drew couldn't remember the last time she took the time to look so beautiful.

"Hello, Mrs. Stokes," Tawny greeted in a bubbly tone while striking a sexy pose. "My name's Tawny Cooper, I met your husband in May at the Gentleman's Club where I used to work. After paying three hundred dollars for time in the VIP room with me, he told me he was divorced, stuffed two c-notes in my g-string and asked me out. After picking me up in a limo and spoiling me rotten as he flaunted me about town, we went back to his suite and had sex…lots of it." Glancing over at Drew she giggled, "He told me I was without a doubt the best woman he ever had…the prettiest too."

Drew kept quiet, now realizing exactly what was going down.

Tawny returned her attention to Melissa, who was stoically listening and clutching her large red leather purse. "In July I discovered he'd been lying about being divorced and that he in fact had a wife and three kids. I told him to go to hell and hurled a lamp at his head. Last night he called and asked me to be his mistress for hire." She showed off her diamond bauble. "He gave me this and agreed to compensate me to the tune of ten grand a day because…and I quote…no woman ever rocked his world as much as me. If things worked out he was going to pay for my keep so whenever he needed a romp he could fly away from you, who he referred to as the Fat Ice Queen Bitch living in the Artic North, and come to sizzling hot Las Vegas and get steamy with me…his Babygirl."

"You don't say," Melissa remarked while turning to face her sister-in-laws. "Did ya'll hear this girl?" When they nodded she refocused her attention on Tawny.

"How does what I said make you feel, Mrs. Stokes?" Tawny asked in a curious tone. "How does it make you feel to know your husband ran around town showing me off like the trophy wife he used to have? Or that his family, Nick's friends, and various hospital personnel know all the sordid details?"

"How does it make me feel?" Melissa replied while burning a glare at her husband. "Humiliated. **Publicly humiliated."** Reaching into her purse she pulled out a large legal envelope and strutted over to her husband. "I want a divorce and according to the Public Humiliation Clause of our pre-nup…I get the house, I get fifty-five percent of the assets and…**full** custody of the children with visitation rights at my discretion." She slapped the papers against his chest. "Congratulations…you're going to be the first Stokes man to ever get divorced."

Drew clutched the envelope and lowered his head. "I won't insult you by sayin' I'm sorry."

"What a nice change of pace…" Melissa snipped, "…because insulting me is all you've been doing for the last year." Suddenly she broke into a smile and pulled a paper from her purse. "I almost forgot…your boss sent you a fax before I left Chicago. Somehowhe found out that you used the **Corporate** credit card to pay for the hotel room you busted up before getting hauled off to jail. To quote Donald Trump…you're fired." After slamming the paper against his chest she snarked, "Nice shirt by the way. I sincerely hope the party was worth it." With that she rejoined her sister-in-laws, who took turns hugging her.

Judge Stokes stepped in front of his son. "What a proud moment for us all. Thank you for making it possible, Andrew. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"No, Sir."

The disgusted father nodded. "Well now…that's the first good decision you've made in a while. Please wait downstairs for me in the cafeteria, I have family business here."

"Yes, Sir." Holding the papers that would change his life, Drew followed his father's orders.

While approaching Tawny, who was leaning against Greg's chest with his arms wrapped firmly around her waist, Jillian told the nervous girl, "You did great, Sweetheart…you did everything just like I asked you. I know it was hard but, thank you."

Melissa was the next to offer her appreciation. "I know things are very awkward right now, but five months is a long time and I really do hope you'll go through with being in the wedding because, from what Jillian told me, it means the world to Carrie to have you in it."

Tawny looked to Jillian. "Do you really think…"

"Absolutely. Our issues don't lie with you, Sugar." Jillian assured her with a smile. "Now, please go home and get those babies some rest. Greg…you see that she does. You can come back later to visit Nicky."

"Yes, ma'am," he answered in a feigned drawl while taking Tawny's hand.

"We'll call you and let you know what time."

**University Trauma Center  
****ICU  
8****:42 a.m. **

Exhaustion finally catching up with her, Carrie had dozed off around five thirty a.m. in the chair she had placed next to Nick's bed. So, a few hours later, when a series of alarms filled the room, she startled, jumping to her feet and clutching her chest. "Oh my God! What's happening!" she shouted when Eileen walked into the room. Flashing back to her mother's final breath, Carrie panicked and froze up.

"He's awake and alert enough to realize something's up." She pointed at Nick squirming and surveyed the monitors to confirm that was indeed the problem. "His heart rate and pressure are going up because he's scared." Patting her patient's shoulder Eileen said, "You're in the hospital recovering from emergency surgery, Mr. Stokes. Try to relax for me, okay." Calling over to Carrie she asked, "Did you forget your job as his loved one, Ms. Blake? You're supposed to be soothing him. Remember…use his name, touch him and stay calm."

Snapping out of her terror, Carrie rushed to her frightened fiancé's side. "Nicky! Look at me, Honey." Reaching out she placed one palm on his chest and one on his forehead. "You were hurt last night and had surgery but you're going to be fine. Do you hear me, Nicky?" His eyes were wild with fear and she could see him fighting to move his hands and feet. "It's Carrie, Sweetie…listen to me. You're not paralyzed…you're tied to the bed so you won't disturb the wires and tubes. Look at my eyes. Do I look worried?" She smoothed back his hair. "The ventilator is only temporary."

Eileen interjected, "Actually, I'm going to remove it as soon as I finish noting his vitals. You're doing good…keep talking him down."

"Honey…" Carrie moved in closer. "Your spleen was ruptured and you were bleeding internally, that's why you needed surgery but the doctors repaired your spleen and you're going to be good as new." She placed a soft kiss on his clammy forehead. "You're okay…really. You know I wouldn't lie to you." Gazing into his eyes she whispered, "I love you, Nicky. You gave me quite a scare, but I'm not scared anymore and you shouldn't be either. You're going to be fine." She brushed his bruised cheek with her fingertips. "We're going to fine." His heart rate finally within the acceptable range, the last alarm quieted. "Two hospitals in two nights, kind of crazy, huh?" She smiled wide. "Let's make a promise…the next time we're in the hospital together it will be for the birth of our first baby…little Garrett or Megan. Deal?"

With glassy eyes Nick nodded lightly.

Reaching under the blankets Carrie found his hand and took it in hers. "Do you remember getting hurt, Honey?"

Immediately he shook his head.

"Do you remember going to The Tempest Hotel last night?"

Again he signaled in the negative.

Having snapped on a fresh pair of gloves Eileen remarked, "Sometimes there's a little memory loss surrounding a trauma. It can come back all at once, sometimes in pieces and in some cases, not at all. Don't push it."

"He's awake!" Jillian exclaimed as she hurried to join Carrie at Nick's bedside.

Eileen nodded, "And thanks to a rush of adrenaline when panicking, he's pretty alert too."

The sight of her son's open eyes activated Jillian's tears. "Welcome back, Honey." Reaching over she kissed his forehead. "You really need to stop giving your fiancée such frights. She's tough but she's not indestructible." When he nodded she said, "I love you, Nicky. Your sisters and daddy are in the lounge worrying about you. They can't wait to see you."

Ready for her task Eileen informed her patient, "Mr. Stokes, let's remove that tube and get you more comfortable. Once it's out, you'll get to talk to your fiancée in a sexy raspy voice and she can kiss you on the lips." Snapping open a towel, she winked. "There will be a little discomfort…a little mess…a little gagging but, it will be over before you know it. Loved ones can stay or leave, that's up to you."

When Carrie saw Nick's eyes lock on hers and open wide she chuckled. "Good thinking, Honey. With my gag-reflex issue, I better leave." After a quick kiss to his forehead she hustled out of the room to update the family.

Jillian took over holding Nick's hand. "I know I'll never have to worry about your marriage, Son. Here you are covered in tubes and wires but you're worrying about your fiancée getting sick."

**Ely State Prison  
****9:02 a.m. **

"He's what!" Mike snapped at his brother, drawing the attention of the guard who was pacing around the room. Lowering his voice he whispered in a panic, "Nick can't die. None of them can die. Dammit! The plan will probably still work without Nick but, it won't be as easy because then I only have Gil and a few of the others to bolster my…are you **sure** he's in the ICU?"

Sitting across from his agitated brother, Ben Rodgers whispered, "Yes, that's what our contact said."

"Shit!" Mike nodded at the guard. "It's cool. I'm cool." He didn't want to lose his newly earned privilege and be forced behind the plexiglass because then they'd have to return to talking in their secret childhood code, which was a real pain in the ass. "His own** brother** put him in the ICU? That son of bitch…Nick told me all about Andrew William Stokes…sometimes the guy can be a real asshole. Benny, I'm really glad we have a better rapport than the Stokes boys. Beating each other…that's messed up."

"I'm glad we do too, Mike." Ben breathed a sigh of relief that his brother found sibling violence unacceptable.

Still seething Mike grumbled, "Dammit, I could kill him for hurting Nick." Rubbing his temples he pondered the situation. "This is highly disappointing."

"Sorry to bum you out, Bro."

"Yeah, well…life's a bitch sometimes." Mike lamented in silence for a moment then suddenly broke out into a smile. "Hey, I know what will perk me up. Let's send Nicky flowers."

Ben mirrored his brother's grin. "What do you want the card to say?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Thanks for the review Misty J!

**Next Chapter**: Greg has a new crazy idea…Carrie faces some challenges while she stands by her man…Sara and Gil have to dash into the field…Paul Blake gets a surprise...Catherine does better at negotiating someone else's business than her own…Irving reveals a shocking secret…and Jim Brass takes a trip to Ely. **Posting:** Late Tuesdsay.

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!

Maggs


	11. Chapter 11

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 11**

**August 30, 2005  
****University Trauma Center – ICU  
****9:39 a.m. **

After watching Eileen, the ICU nurse, inspect the slimy output draining into a clear biohazard container from Nick's nasogastric tube, Carrie returned to his side looking a little green around the gills.

"Do you…have to go?" Nick weakly asked, his voice still deep and scratchy from the now removed vent tube. A smile found his lips as he felt Carrie's hand slip into his. "That feels nice." He gently returned the squeeze.

Pushing past her nausea she cheerily informed him, "Don't worry…it's going to take a little more than looking at your stomach bile in a jar to get me to leave your room." Then she asked Eileen, "And how is my fiancé's gastric output looking this hour?"

"Awesome," Eileen answered as she jotted notes. "A lovely shade of yellow-green, with no sign of blood swirling in the ooze…just like we like it around here." Pointing to the bag of yellow liquid hanging from the bed she teased, "His urine is looking mighty fine too. In case you were wondering, you're marrying a man with very strong kidneys."

Carrie chuckled and returned her gaze to Nick's battered face. "And to think I was uncomfortable when you peed in front of me in the woods. I bet that doesn't bother me from here on out."

"There you go." Leaving the room Eileen said, "You'll find it a lot easier to cope with all this if you keep a sense of humor about it."

"Did you hear that, Nicky? I'm supposed to keep making cracks about your body fluids. When you're a little stronger I'll ask Ryan to visit and take over for a while because he has a million fart jokes…maybe he can come up with some for stomach gas in a jar." Now that the nurse was gone, Carrie adjusted the sheets. "I think Nurse Eileen likes your naked body a little too much because she keeps pulling the sheets off to take a peek." Rolling her eyes she joked, "I mean is it **really** necessary to check your catheter and massage your abs every time she comes in here? Sure, she says she's checking for abdominal distension but…I'll tell you what…if she starts squeezing your ass, I'm calling her out."

"Love you," Nick managed as the sedating effects of the pain medication got stronger. He wanted to say a lot more but he couldn't muster the strength.

"I love you too, Honey." Taking a tube of lip balm from her pocket she coated his cracked swollen cracked lips and sealed her handiwork with a kiss. "You need to sleep and I've got just the thing to help you drift." She stepped away from the bed to retrieve the surprise from her purse.

Smacking his newly coated lips Nick forced out another word. "Stay." Still frightened and confused, Carrie's soothing voice and loving gaze were the only things he found calming in the room full of freakish machinery and bright lights.

"Of course I'll stay." Holding her I-pod, Carrie returned to his side. "Here…" She gently stuffed an ear bud in each of Nick's ears. "A little mood music to induce pleasant dreams…you'll know just what to imagine when you hear it."

His eyes getting heavy he watched her selecting a song.

"Here it comes." It was their wedding song, Once in a Lifetime Love. When she saw him push out a faint smile she returned it ten fold. "Is the volume okay?"

He nodded while his eyelids closed.

"Sweet dreams, Honey." She kissed his cheek. "I'll be right here when you wake…unless I'm in the bathroom trying to keep up with your kidneys."

**The Townhouse  
****9:55 a.m. **

At the bathroom sink scrubbing off the make-up she had layered on for her role as 'the lover' in the Drew Stokes Smackdown, Tawny glanced over at Greg. He hadn't left her side since returning home. "What are we going to tell people in California when they ask where I went to college or what I've been doing since high school? Or when they ask about my family?"

From the doorway, Greg stared at Tawny's chest, which was barely contained in a tight pink tank shirt. A shiver ran through him as he recalled Becca's harsh words…_You should see Howie's fiancée, Bebe. I call her Miss Stripper Tits because rumor has it that she used to dance at some sleazy gentleman's club. Since she had to take her clothes off for money you know she's a brainless bimbo with no education. _

"Greg?" Tawny turned to face him.

Upon closer inspection he was sure her boobs had grown since yesterday. "Uh…the standard spoiled rich kid response would be for you to say you were traveling the world to discover yourself…you know…spending some time in Thailand or..."

"I saw that in a movie!" she enthusiastically confirmed. "The Beach, with Leo DiCaprio. It was totally screwed up and those people were whack."

"Yeah…" Greg nodded. "I saw it and I read the book too. Three people looking for the ultimate nihilistic experience but they soon realize the utopia they think they found is really just a microcosm of society with all the same trappings and ills. Human nature eventually destroys the dream because people aren't perfect and therefore are unable to uphold the principles of an idyllic civilization over time."

"Huh?" Holding her Buff Puff Tawny asked in a panicky voice, "Oh my gosh…can all your country club friends talk like that?"

"My **friends** at the country club are limited to Robbie and Becca…well, Becca probably should be crossed off that list as of yesterday…but yes, she talks like that at times. The rest of the people are just people I know but not close friends but, yeah…most of them do talk like that if they get going on something. Robbie though…he's totally down to Earth…even though he went to Penn, and his wife is really sweet…but she did um…go to Princeton, so um she can sometimes sound..."

"Cripes! I have a GED and I'm going to be sitting at tables full of Ivy Leaguers." Standing there in a pair of lime green boy shorts with pink hearts on the ass she whimpered, "I'm going to feel like Bridget Jones when she goes to that fancy dinner with Mark Darcy in the second movie…out-classed and stupid. And I won't even be able to drink myself numb because I'm pregnant. And, Greg! You didn't answer my questions… What are we going to tell people in California when they ask where I went to college or what I've been doing since high school? Or when they ask about my family?"

"Let's not panic." Greg took her hands and led her out of the bathroom. "Breathing…breathing."

"If we tell them I'm a runaway who gave lap dances for a living they'll look down at me and your parents will be the laughing stock of their club. It could even impact your dad's dental practice." Sighing she confessed, "But most of all…I don't want feel humiliated yet again. I had enough of that with Drew asking me to be his whore for hire."

"I know, Sweetie…I know." Sitting with her on the edge of the bed Greg said, "Well…we can't go with you traveling to discover yourself story because those people have really traveled and they'll ask you questions you can't answer."

"We need a really good story," she pleaded.

Glancing up he sighed, "One they won't be able to relate to first hand." After a few minutes of pondering Greg said, "How about we get some rest and then work on the story when we're fresh?"

"Okay." She pulled back the blankets and slipped under them waiting for Greg to grab the TV remote and join her. "Whatever you do, don't put on the news…I'm stressed enough."

"I'll flip through the movie channels and see what's on."

"No soft core…I'm not in the mood to make love and we both know it only takes sixty seconds of televised faux sex to get you randy."

He laughed at the truth and the fact that even though they were only fifty percent engaged for twelve hours, they were sounding more and more like an old married couple. "Oh, here we go…you can't get more prudish than this movie. Witness, it's about a cop who hides in Amish country because…"

"Because what?" she prodded when he fell silent.

Greg jumped out of bed. "That's it!"

"What?" She sat up staring at him.

"You can tell everyone you're Amish!"

"You want me to tell everyone I'm **Amish**?" she said in disbelief. "I visited the biggest Amish community in Kansas and I never saw any Amish girls with breast implants bloating their God-given B's to E's and how will I explain living in Vegas, wearing clothes with buttons, and styling my hair?"

"No…no." He returned to the bed and explained, "You were **raised **Amish, but you chose not to join the order when you were twenty-one. I did a paper in college on Amish society. When they turn sixteen some of them go on rumspringa…which originates from the words for running around. They get to test the waters of modern society and by the time they are twenty-one they have to decide whether they are going to join the church or leave Amish culture forever." With a lilt in his voice he informed her, "Believe it or not, ninety-five percent of them choose to return even after playing Xbox, watching TV, partying, and driving. Wild, huh? Being Amish must really have its perks if they're not tempted to stay modern after getting a taste of all that."

"It's truly amazing," Tawny deadpanned. "Now, let me get this straight…you want me to pretend I'm an Amish girl who went to Vegas to get a taste of modern life and then decided not to return to the farm? Are you out of your mind!"

"Seriously…it's perfect." Proudly he explained why it was the ideal plan, "There are different variations of Amish and Mennonite, but we'll go with you being Old Order, the strictest. Kids still go to one room school houses and only until the eighth grade…that explains why you had to get a GED and are going to community college. Even though you're **really** **smart**…you didn't have the opportunity to go to high school and get into an Ivy League school."

"Okay." Suddenly the idea was sounding a little less crazy.

"And it explains why you have no family…your family was required to shun you when you left the order. By the way, they shun not as a means of punishment but in an effort to get the person back by making them long for what's missing."

"Shunning…hmm…it sounds a lot like what the Stokes family is doing to Drew."

"And that's why you changed your name to Tawny Cooper…so you would have a new, non-Amish identity." Excitedly he added, "Or better yet…you changed it to be your **stage** name because you were heading to Hollywood to try your luck in film…that's why you got the boob job! An agent told you that you needed one to make it there and you were so naïve that you saved up all you money from working at the Cheesecake Factory to get one. However, before moving on to LA, you met me and we fell madly in love."

"You are totally reminding me of Christian in Moulin Rouge when he's making up the story of the Sitar player! Oh my god! Think about it…last night I really was propositioned to be the mistress of a rich sleazeball just like in the movie. We're really becoming Christian and Satine! Luckily, I'm not going to die of consumption because it's 2005. Aww…feel free to break into song declaring your love for me at any time."

"I'll see what I can do," he replied while averting his eyes so he wouldn't tip his hand.

Getting into the plan, Tawny bubbled, "Tell me what my Amish name was."

Taking her hand he tugged her off the bed with him. "Let's do some Internet research and find out what names are popular."

"Do you really think this will work?" she asked in the bedroom doorway.

"Absolutely, because there's no chance anyone from the club ever spent time with the Amish. We'll study up and be experts by the time we leave tomorrow." Placing his hands on her shoulders Greg assured her, "And don't worry…I won't let you twist in the wind if people ask you things you don't know how to handle. I'll have your back the whole time. And they'll never find out because I'm a nobody, not a celebrity, so it's not like they're not going to investigate you. It will work."

"I trust you because you're an excellent liar." Then she realized how dumb that sounded. "Well, you know what I mean."

Smiling he offered a movie analogy because she spoke in them all the time. "Remember in Titanic when Jack dines in First Class?"

"Uh huh."

"You know how he spoke of things his tablemates had never seen while being sweet and charming and they all loved him? Well, except for Rose's fiancé of course because he knew Jack wanted to shag his girl." Greg released Tawny's hair from the clip piling it on top of her head. "That's exactly how you work the club. People are fascinated by quirky stuff they've never experienced but wouldn't want to do themselves. If you act like the lovable girl you are, and speak fondly of your days in Amish Country, they'll be charmed…just like the First Class passengers were charmed by Jack." Their noses brushing Greg murmured, "How can anyone not be charmed by you…" Bringing his lips to hers he whispered, "I'm a little more charmed every day." They fell into a kiss and were quickly consumed by it. "You know…I've never been with an Amish girl," Greg joked in Tawny's ear as he nipped at its lobe.

"Stoppen Sie bitte."

Stunned, Greg jumped back. "You speak German?"

"Ja, ich spreche Deutsches. Mein Vater unterrichtete mich," Tawny burst out laughing. "Don't all demure and charming Amish girls speak German?"

**The Spring Mountains  
****10:45 a.m. **

Walking up the trail Sofia laughingly replied to Irving's question. "No, conservative and timid are words that have never been used to describe me. Have they ever been used to describe you?" They had been playing this ping pong question game since they left his apartment.

"No…" He continued up the trail. "Can't say that they have."

"What two words have people used to describe you?" If Sofia was asked right now she decided she'd say he was fun and athletic.

"The answer depends on the timeframe."

"How did people describe you when you were a little kid?"

"Clumsy and huge." Taking a seat on a large rock he said, "This is that view I was telling you about."

"It's great." She dropped her day pack and climbed up next to him. "Clumsy and huge, huh? Let me guess…it took a little while for you to get control of your runaway body?"

"Exactly." Laughing, he pulled out a bottle of water. "My mom said at one point she thought I was growing an inch a day. I was six feet tall when I turned fourteen."

"Yeah, but I bet no one picked on you for it."

Lying down on the large flat rock he told her, "Actually, they did for a while…then I realized I could pound them into the ground."

"Greg told me you were a pacifist." Sofia joined him staring up at the clear blue sky, a byproduct of the previous night's storm sweeping through and clearing the moisture from the air. "And I thought you volunteered at a Boys and Girls club in their gang prevention program."

"I'm a pacifist **now,** but back then…" After a lengthy sigh he said, "You know how you had your little acid test this morning…showing up at my place early to see what I was hiding?"

"Yeah." She removed her sunglasses so the rays would evenly hit her face.

"This is mine for a woman. I don't usually mention it this early on, but you're all about seeking the truth so…and I figure you'll tell me straight if you can deal with it or not."

"Well, you've certainly got my attention."

With his eyes shaded by his dark glasses Irving stared at the sky and shared his secret. "When I was fourteen I was sentenced to twenty-five months in Juvy Hall for being in a car during a drive by shooting that resulted in the deaths of two rival gang members. They tried the driver and the shooter as adults but my mom pounded the pavement looking for a lawyer willing to do some pro bono work and lucky for me she found one. They kept me in the juvenile system because I had only been running with the crew for a few months and didn't have any priors. I was living in Florida with my mom at the time…in this nasty trailer park…my dad was never in the picture. I got hooked up with the wrong people because they had something to offer me that I wasn't getting elsewhere." His voice drifting Irving said, "It's easy to get hooked when you've got nothin' going on that's why I volunteer and try to make the kids see there are other options."

"Those two tattoos you got covered up…gang tattoos?"

"Yeah." Removing his sunglasses he turned to look at Sofia lying on the rock next to him. "I'll understand if it's too much for a law abiding CSI."

"Are you kidding? That was over half your lifetime ago. Hell, I'm not the same person I was two years ago." Breaking into a smile she told him, "It's going to take a lot more than that to get me turned off." After exchanging smiles and stares for a couple of minutes Sofia huffed, "Okay…are you going to kiss me or what?"

"Aggressive and non-judgmental." His laughter echoed in the woods. "Those are the two words I'd use to describe you today."

"The former has been known to turn a guy off." Nick came to mind.

"Luckily the latter is my biggest turn-on…and yes…" Leaning in he answered her question. "Yeah…I am going to kiss you." Then he bolted up from the rock. "At some point."

"Oh!" Frustrated, Sofia sat up. "I have two new words coming to mind for you, Pal!"

**Catherine's House  
****11:17 a.m. **

With Lindsay at her friend's and Warrick still at the lab, Catherine sat on the couch in the living room flooded with moving boxes. Gulping down Chardonnay she obsessed over Warrick's raw words. The words, no matter how true, still stung and even though she forced him to say them, she wished he hadn't let them flow because it's harder to stay in denial when the truth has been spoken.

Grissom had wanted her to rip up the first check she took from Sam but it was easy to ignore him on personal matters because up until last year he didn't have a personal life. Ignoring Warrick's opinion was another matter entirely. Not only was he logical to a fault, she knew he loved her and only wanted the best for her. He had always been the Voice of Reason in her life even when he wasn't the man in her life.

After refilling her glass for the fourth time, she kicked off her shoes and tossed her tired feet on the coffee table. At least he hadn't given her an ultimatum…Sam or him. Not that she'd have a tough time choosing.

Why did she let Sam into her life? Catherine wondered. Some sappy idea that blood is thicker than water and deep down he loved her and wanted her around to make up for lost time? Because it felt good to be wanted by a man and wasn't that the reason for so many blunders over the years?

The ring of her cell phone took her out of deep thought. "Willows," she mindlessly answered.

"Mugs…"

"You shouldn't be calling me," she scolded, not only referring to the case conflict reason.

"I'm not calling you as a CSI."

She assumed he would say he was calling her as his daughter.

"I'm calling you as a friend of the Stokes family."

Her brows knitted.

"My attorneys just got word…they're gonna sue my ass. For Christ's sake it only happened twelve hours ago."

"And this surprises you?" she laughed in to the phone. "A…they know your goons are blatantly liable for Nick's injury. B…half of the Stokes family is involved in the justice system. C…you have the deepest pockets in town. D…they know they can win and get **millions** in damages. E…they don't like people of questionable character and it will prop them to bring a guy like you down. F…they know video of your goons stomping a helpless man, who happens to work in law enforcement for the County, won't do much for business."

"Exactly why I want you to reason with them…this needs to go away."

"No." She decided today would be the day she wouldn't give into a man's demands.

"I'll drop the charges against their sons. The father's a big time judge…he doesn't need a scandal anymore than me."

"And you want me to point that out to him?" She rolled her eyes and took another gulp of wine. "These are people with morals and principles. In other words they're not you…or me for that matter. I don't think they're going to sweep Nick's right to justice under the rug to keep things out of the newspaper. Cover-ups are your thing, not theirs."

"I've got tape of their married son, Andrew Stokes, soliciting a prostitute in the hallway. I'm prepared to use it as ballast. How will that look as the headline in the Dallas Times? I bet even the righteous Judge Stokes will want to cover that up."

"Why are you telling me this?" she snapped.

"I already told you why…I want you to reason with them. This needs to go away. I've got some stuff in the works with the city and they won't be able to work with me if this mess goes public. Come on, Mugs…do it for your old man. Reason with them."

Feeling the effects of a bottle of wine and Warrick's words, Catherine blasted, "If you want me to reason with them then do what you do best, Daddy-O…whip out your bottomless pit of a checkbook, grab a pen and start writing. Jot six zeros and then pick a number greater than two and plunk it down in front of them…and don't be insulting. Make it out to Nick Stokes and give it to me along with a non-disclosure settlement contract drawn up by your lawyer…and tell them it better be perfect because Nicky will be giving it to his legal team of Stokes, Stokes, Stokes, Stokes and Blake to review."

Sam's laughter wafted through the receiver. "Mugs…are you sure you don't want to join the family business? 'Cause you're a real pisser. Blane quit this morning, maybe you could replace him."

Foregoing the glass, Catherine drank straight from the bottle. "If my boss fires me I just might consider it."

"Three mil."

"Four."

"Three point five."

"Four point five."

"Four."

"We never had this conversation, Dad."

"What conversation?" He laughed. "How are you set over there, Mugs? I know that guy you're living with is making shit because that's what the County pays."

"We're fine. Hanging up now." When Catherine clicked off the phone it hit her. "Unbelievable…I just negotiated a four million dollar settlement for Nick. That'll buy Carrie a hell of a lot of shoes." After downing the last drop from the glass bottle she groaned, "Of course, Nick will turn it down on a matter of principle." She pondered the scenario for a moment then chuckled, "Unless…I make him an offer he can't refuse."

**University Trauma Center  
****1:01 p.m. **

Judge Stokes stood outside his son's room speaking softly to Carrie. "He still doesn't remember a thing?" When he had visited with his son earlier he was surprised to learn that Nick didn't recall fighting with Andy.

"No." Carrie reviewed once more the first portion of Drew's police statement that she had just read to Nick.

_My brother, Nick Stokes, showed up at my hotel room to discuss family business. As often happened when we were growing up, my self-righteous brother pissed me off and I punched him in an effort to shut him down and kept going. After getting hit several times, Nick fought back in self-defense and broke my nose. After that, I knocked him to the floor, breaking some hotel room décor in the process. Next, hotel security showed up. _

Returning the paper to Judge Stokes, Carrie said, "Nick won't be pressing assault charges against Andy. He wants to keep it in the family…handle it brother to brother. It seems as though Nicky remembers a lot of good about Andy over the years along with the bad. He credits him for his doing well in school and football…and with girls." Smiling, she said, "I have to say I admire his willingness to work through the ordeal rather than take the easy way out. He believes his brother has lost his way and doesn't think turning his back on him will help him find his way back. I only hope Andy is remorseful and worthy of the opportunity."

"You and me both, Sweetheart." Judge Stokes rested a hand on Carrie's shoulder. "I'll let Andrew know what Nick said. In a few days time, when Nick is stronger, we'll let his brother visit and see what happens."

"I think that's a good plan."

"Now…" Scratching his head the weary man stared at his son through the glass, watching him sleep while his sisters Barbara and Karen watched TV. "That still leaves the hotel pressing charges against Nick and Andrew. A man like Sam Braun will no doubt find it thrilling to take down someone tied to law enforcement. I've seen it before…they live for that sort of thing."

"If the charges aren't dropped, Nicky will lose his job."

"That's why I had our attorney start pressuring Mr. Braun with the threat of a civil suit." He returned his gaze to the woman he met only hours earlier but already loved. "I know the job is far more important to Nick than suing for damages. I'm going to let Mr. Braun stew for a day or two then I'll propose dropping the charges in exchange for our not pursuing the suit."

"He'd be a fool not to take that offer." She knew the odds of winning a civil suit were probably in Nick's favor but it would come at a steep price…the loss of his job and a stain on his family's stellar reputation. And they still could lose the trial because Carrie had no doubt a man of Sam Braun's reputation would fight dirty.

"Ms. Blake…" Eileen motioned for her to approach the desk. "There's a delivery for your fiancée down at the ICU reception desk across from the visitor lounge. It's flowers and they aren't allowed in the ICU. You can bring him the card but leave the flowers there or give them to someone to bring home."

"Oh. Okay." She smiled at the thought of someone sending a pick me up. "Eileen, if Nick wakes up asking for me, will you tell him I'll be right back?"

**Crime Lab  
****1:08 p.m. **

Gil was at his desk reviewing Sofia's final report on Nick and Carrie's attack when Sara walked in.

"So what's the verdict?" She had already gone through everything once and was curious on his take now that he'd been through it twice.

"Unsatisfied."

"Because?" She took a seat and the file he was extending.

"Because Rodgers is too good making something seem like nothing so the more this looks like nothing, the more paranoid I'm getting." Removing his glasses Gil rubbed massaged his temples. "I could see him having Montana go to Sonny's prior to the attack as a reminder that he did his research."

"Are you getting a migraine?"

"Everything's catching up with me. I took some pills."

Returning the file to her husband's cluttered desk Sara pointedly asked, "When does paranoia stop being healthy and start tainting your judgment?"

"Do you know how many times I asked myself that question when I was suspicious of Rodgers dating you?" he snipped. "Aren't you glad I didn't listen when Catherine told me it was just the ramblings of my jealous mind?"

"Point taken."

"And I'm not jealous this time," Gil emphasized. "You and I are happily married…**he's** the one without you. And as far as Nick and Carrie are concerned…I feel…"

When he stopped talking Sara filled in the blank. "Guilty?"

"Protective."

**University Trauma Center – ICU Reception Area  
****1:12 p.m. **

When she arrived at the desk, Carrie was immediately sidetracked by Sofia and an enormous muscular man.

"Carrie!" Sofia called from down the hall. "I was on my way back from hiking when Grissom called to ask me some questions on the park attack. He told me what happened last night. I'm freaked. I tried to call your cell. It's just…we had dinner together last night and…"

"He's doing great," Carrie assured her with words and a hug. "Thanks so much for caring."

"It reminded me of my brother and me." They had eaten dinner together hours before he killed himself and when she got the call she refused to believe they had the right guy because he was the picture of vibrancy when she had left. "A little PTSD I suppose…and I was worried about you and Jillian."

"I'm feeling fine and Jillian is taking a nap at the apartment to recoup." To lighten the mood Carrie whispered in Sofia's ear, "Is the big guy your date?"

"Oh!" She backed out of the embrace. "Sorry, I'm a little out of it. Irving…this is Carrie Blake, she's a prosecutor in the DA's office and Nick's fiancée. Carrie…this is Irving Jones, he's a personal trainer and Grissom and Greg are two of his most pathetic clients."

"Nice to meet you." Smiling, Carrie extended her hand and glanced up at the man who loomed fourteen inches over her. "I've heard only good things about your from my friends."

Shaking the tiny woman's hand Irving returned her friendly smile. "Likewise. I'm really glad Nick is going to be okay. I know him from the gym."

"You work out?" Carrie teased before laughing. "Forgive me…I'm running on fumes and I'm definitely slap happy by this point. I really need to get back to Nick though. I only came out to grab a card because someone sent flowers and they aren't allowed in the ICU. Thanks so much for checking in. I'll tell Nicky you stopped by."

"Call if you need anything," Sofia replied as Irving took her hand in a sweet move she appreciated with a smile. "Bye." Hand in hand they headed for the elevator.

After waving at the visitors Carrie turned to the nurse working the desk. "I'm just grabbing the card for my fiancé," Carrie informed the nurse while she removed the small white envelope addressed to Nick Stokes from the basket of mixed flowers.

Anxious to see who had been so thoughtful Carrie promptly pulled out the card.

_Nick,_

_This wouldn't have happened if I was watching your back.  
__Brothers suck, that's why friends are so important.  
__I hope there's cable TV in the ICU. __Get well soon, Buddy. _

_Your best friend forever,  
__Nigel. _

_P.S. Would you dump Carrie already! She's not your type.  
__We both know you like leggy redheads, right, Pal?_

"I can't handle this!" Carrie shrieked as she backed up against the wall. "Why can't people leave us alone!"

"What's wrong!" the puzzled nurse behind the desk asked when she saw the color draining from the hysterical woman's face.

"Carrie!" Sofia prompted as she raced from the elevator. "What happened? You were fine a minute ago."

Trembling she held up the card and incoherently rambled, "I was trying really hard…Nick doesn't know…there's another one at my office. I can't…I'm just…I'm so tired…help me…"

"How long ago were these flowers delivered!" Sofia barked at the nurse while grabbing her cell phone from her pocket. "And who delivered them? What did they look like?"

"Five…ten minutes. Sonya…she's a hospital volunteer. She picks up the deliveries at the main desk. We don't allow delivery personnel access to the hospital since 9/11. What's going on?" She watched as tears streamed down the cheeks of the stunned woman holding the card.

"Police matter."

"Carrie!" Judge Stokes hurried over. He had heard her yelling from down the hall. "What is it, Sweetheart?"

Breathing rapidly she slid down the wall. "I can't…handle this…It's too much..."

With her cell pressed to her ear Sofia snapped her fingers. "I need some latex gloves and a baggie STAT." Then she turned to Irving. "Sorry…our date just got turned into a casefile."

**Crime Lab  
****Grissom's Office  
****1:17 p.m. **

Studying the results of Glen Montana's Tox Report Gil mindlessly answered his cell phone. "Grissom."

"It's Sofia. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but…we've got two more Hallmark Greetings. One is an anonymous _congratulations on your engagement_ card addressed to Carrie, which she locked in a drawer at her office yesterday morning. The other is here with me at the hospital…it just arrived with flowers addressed to Nick. It's signed…your best friend forever, Nigel."

Removing his glasses Gil rushed to his feet. "Sara!" He saw her walking down the hall. "Grab your kit! We're heading out."

**The Blakes  
****1:19 p.m. **

Just as he was heading out the door to make copies of his résumé, Paul heard his wife beckon from the kitchen. "Phone's for you, Honey!"

Setting down his paperwork he re-entered the house and met his wife in the living room. "Who is it?"

"Ron Grissom."

Curious as to why he'd be calling, Paul grabbed the phone. "Hi, Ron. It's Paul."

"Look… Gil's been keeping me updated, so I know you've got a hell of a lot going on with Nick in the hospital. After having such a nice time at your home on Sunday I felt compelled to call."

"Oh…that's really nice of you, Ron. I'm running an errand then heading back to the hospital." Checking his watch he noted he'd been away from his sister for hours. "When I see them, I'll make sure Nick and Carrie know you checked in."

"That's not the only reason I'm calling."

"Oh." Paul glanced over to Wendy and shrugged.

"My son told me you're looking for a new job. Do you have a copy of your resume handy that you could fax over? Because I think I might be able to help."

**Catherine's House  
****1:24 p.m. **

Lying on the couch lost in her wine buzz Catherine answered the phone, "Catherine Willows is unable to take your call at the moment because she's avoiding the world."

"I need you at work," Warrick replied in a business tone.

"I'm drunk."

"Then I definitely** don't **need you at work."

Slapping her forehead she whined, "I'm sorry."

"I'm real busy."

"I'm sorry you're busy and I can't help."

"Stop drinking and get some sleep," he instructed in a paternal tone. "Did you forget…we have to take Lindsay to her new school at six for Open House. As it is I'm gonna look like hell from not sleeping, the last thing those prep school snob moms need to discover is you reeking of alcohol. You and me already give a hell of a first impression on strangers, Baby, let's not stack the deck."

"Are you kidding?" She chuckled into the phone as she walked toward the bedroom. "The rich and privileged are the biggest boozers and pill poppers around." Crashing on the bed yawning she asked, "What's up at work?"

"I'll fill you in when you're rested and sober."

"Okay." She fluffed her pillow. "Do you still love me?"

"I hope that's rhetorical."

"I love you too."

**University Trauma Center – ICU  
****1:39 p.m. **

Lowering the brown paper bag she had been hyperventilating into, Carrie showed Dr. Barbara Stokes-Reeves that she was once again breathing normally. "See…much better." She was still sitting on the floor where she crumbled in a heap of panic.

Handing her father a prescription, Barbara instructed, "I believe there's a pharmacy on site."

The nurse standing by nodded. "Take the elevator to the main floor and follow the signs.

"Good thing I never go anywhere without my prescription pad. I wrote it for Valium, Carrie. I think that's exactly what you need to chill out for a little while." Barbara winked at her future sister-in-law. "I forgot to ask…you're not pregnant by any chance, are you? If you are, don't worry about my mom and dad giving you and Nicky grief because Andy's monopolizing their anger at the moment."

Holding her head Carrie huffed, "No, thankfully I'm not pregnant because I can't imagine dealing with all this and pregnancy. Are you sure Nicky doesn't suspect anything with me gone this long?"

"He's still sleeping and Karen's at his side to run interference if need be." After patting Carrie's knee Barbara stood. "But I'll go check on him for you."

"Okay." A moment later she was relieved to see Sara and Gil coming out of the elevator.

Sofia intercepted her co-workers with the bagged card. "Take a read…sure sounds like Nigel."

While Grissom tossed on his glasses to inspect the card, Sara knelt in front of Carrie. "Busy day?"

"Yeah." She appreciated the attempt at humor. "I'm just waiting on some Valium so I can escape for a little while."

"Carrie…" Grissom approached rapidly. "What does the card in your office say? How long ago did you receive it and what made you think it was a good idea to hide it from us? That card could link to the one Sara received and you should know better than to…"

"Gil!" Sara glared at her over-zealous husband. "Sympathy...compassion…empathy…pick one and emote it. She's had a rough couple of days in case you've forgotten."

After a deep breath Gil nodded. "Uh…Sara's right. Forgive me, Carrie. You've been under a lot of stress and I know that the mind under duress can make even irresponsible decisions seem reasonable. With that said…**please **answer my questions."

Sara rolled her eyes, not exactly pleased with his re-do but at least it was better than his Pit Bull imitation.

"The card was in our mail when we returned from Flagstaff, so I don't know which day it came." Feeling her tension rising, Carrie clutched the paper bag just in case she needed it again. "I opened it Monday morning at my office and it said...uh…"

**Carrie Blake's Office  
****1:47 p.m. **

Warrick sat at Carrie's desk studying the lines that intrigued him the most on the card. I bet he would give up his job, his freedom, even his life in exchange for your safety. It's rare to find those qualities in a man these days. It must feel like a blessing. Be careful though, it may be a curse.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out why you hid this from Nick, Carrie," he said under his breath while bagging the evidence. "If I were you I would have hidden it too."

**Citywide Florist  
****1:54 p.m. **

Pete, Day Shift team member turned temporary supervisor, stood at the counter waiting for the manager.

"Whatcha need?" Didi Fuentes inquired as she gave the handsome man with a decent body the once over. Fluffing her jet black hair with hot pink nails she grinned. "I hope you're not here to get something for your wife."

"I'm Pete Jones from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. I'm just here for information on a delivery." He flashed his ID and his best smile, sensing a little male attention would go far with the woman. "Flowers and a card from your shop were dropped off at the University Trauma Center about an hour ago for a patient named Nick Stokes."

"A Pick Me Up Basket." She remembered it well because of the odd message dictated. "The woman was very specific that it had to be a Hallmark card and she asked me to read the message back twice, including the punctuation. I was thinkin' she had that obsessive compulsive thing you hear about on TV. Like the people who wash their hands a hundred times if you sneeze near 'em."

"A woman phoned it in?" Pete was surprised to hear it was a female. "What was her name and how did she pay?"

Grabbing the order form Ms. Fuentes pointed to answer. "Susan Richardson. Mastercard."

"I'm going to need a copy of that," Pete directed before moving on to his next question. "Did you notice anything strange about her voice?"

"She sounded like a bimbo."

Pete held in his laugh because 'a bimbo' was the first impression he had of Ms. Fuentes. "Describe what a bimbo voice sounds like please."

"Why, are you gay?"

He was unsuccessful at blocking the laugh this time. "No, I'm not gay. I asked because my version of what a bimbo sounds like may be different than yours. Like people have different versions of pretty or sexy."

Leaning over the counter she let her blouse show off her assets. "Am I your version of sexy, Handsome?"

Looking to expedite matters Pete whispered, "Okay…you got me…I'm gay. Can you answer the question now?"

"Shrilly voice and she was smacking gum."

"Ah." Pete grabbed his cell. "I'm going to call in that credit card number."

**University Trauma Center – ICU  
****2:54 p.m. **

After hanging up with Pete, Grissom gave the latest update to Sara, Sofia, Carrie and Judge Stokes. "The credit card used to purchase the flowers was reported stolen an hour ago…in Boston."

"Boston," Sara rolled her eyes. "Let me guess…the call to order the flowers was placed from somewhere completely different."

"Los Angeles." Frustrated, Grissom leaned against the wall.

The effects of the Valium showing, Carrie smiled and slurred, "We're just here for Mikey's amusement…oh yeah…sure…he heard Nicky was in the hospital and said…how can I make that experience just a…**little**…**more** …**painful**? Ugh…he's probably still buzzing from the high."

Staying on task, Sofia said, "Okay…Mike hears Nick is in the hospital and wants to needle him by sending flowers from Nigel. And he knows about Nick and Nigel how? Because Nigel is hanging out with him in Ely?"

Holding her head Carrie groaned, "Because Nick and Mike used to talk shop when they'd go out… before they'd get around to picking up bimbos to boink." With sedated eyes, she glanced up at her future father-in-law. "He doesn't do that anymore, Sir. No…no, he's not Andy. Now he boinks me exclusively and it's soooo awesome."

"Didn't I warn you that Valium and an empty stomach don't mix?" Sara took Carrie by the elbow, leading her toward the ICU Family sleep room. "I'm thinking rest would be good."

"I'm not sleepy," she insisted before yawning.

Grissom informed Judge Stokes, "It's becoming obvious that Rodgers has a network of minions at the ready to do his bidding and the financial resources to fund the efforts. We always suspected he had a lot of cash because of his late wife's insurance money but it was never found."

"You're thinking he's got it in some type of hidden account?" the concerned father prodded.

"Yes."

Sofia chimed in, "So today, when he wants the flowers sent, he has **Minion A** lift a credit card in Boston and immediately call **Minion B** in LA with the number so it can be used before it's reported stolen?"

Grissom nodded. "I think that's very plausible."

Judge Stokes interjected, "The prison will have a record of whomever Rodgers phoned because inmates are required to use a pin number to log their calls."

**Ely State Prison  
****4:01 p.m. **

After a quick flight to Ely, Jim Brass was met at the small airport by a police officer who whisked him away to the prison. Once there, he was escorted directly to the warden's office.

"Jim Brass, Assistant Director of the Las Vegas Crime Lab." He extended his hand. "Thank you for expediting things and seeing me right away."

"Mark Finley." He returned the handshake. "First things first…Mike Rodgers hasn't made any phone calls today. However, he did have a supervised contact visit with his brother."

"Thank you." Brass jotted a note. "I'll call that in as soon as we're through talking."

Taking a seat the warden remarked, "I was very intrigued by Dr. Grissom's request to move Nigel Crane away from Mike Rodgers."

"How long will that take?"

"That's the thing…" Mr. Finley relaxed in his office chair. "Because he was a police officer, Mike Rodgers was in Protective Custody. He only moved to the highest security level of the general pop a few months ago. Normally he wouldn't be allowed, but he filed a grievance and went through the waiver process acknowledging he was giving up his protected status and accepting the risk associated with moving to the general population. He was approved because he is in excellent standing."

"Of course he's is," Brass grumbled. "I hear he's turned quite religious too. How many times has he been messed with in the general pop?"

"Only once."

"That's unusual for an ex-cop, don't you think?"

"Absolutely." Finley held up his hands. "But we've seen stranger things. Mike Rodgers stays out of harm's way, and not only are his neighbors leaving him alone…they all want to be his best friend and play on his basketball team."

"Including Nigel?"

"Back to Nigel." Finley leaned into the conversation. "That's what intrigued me about Dr. Grissom's request. Dr. Grissom said that Rodgers told him he hung out with Nigel and found him to be 'clingy'. The problem is…Nigel and Mike Rodgers have never come in contact. It's geographically impossible. Nigel is in Unit Three for Psych Services and Rodgers is Unit Six in the general pop. When Rodgers was in Protective Custody he was housed in Unit Two and we don't ever mix Psych and Protective Custody, nor do we mix Psych and the general pop…they don't even pass each other on the way from point A to point B…ever."

Brass sat in the Warden's guest chair shaking his head. "He made it up."

"Well…where there's a will there's a way…Rodgers could get a message or even a paper, such as the engagement notice Dr. Grissom mentioned, to Nigel through a network but…we checked both of their cells and found nothing suspicious."

Blowing out a frustration-fueled breath Brass announced, "I still want to question Nigel myself."

"Not a problem." The warden stood. "But be prepared…it's a little exhausting."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

**Next Chapter:** Nick gets a visit from his 'brother'…Brass goes one on one with Nigel…Hodges speaks with Celeste…Grissom pays a visit to someone not happy to see him…Cath and Warrick take Linds to Open House at her new school and she runs into a 'friend'…there's a little casefile, a little depth added to the Melissa and Drew story and at the end…a peek at each of the four main couples (GS, NC,GT,CW) at the end of the night. **Posting:** Friday late morning (US MST)

Thanks for the review Misty-J!

**Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts,  
****Maggs**


	12. Chapter 12

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 12**

**University Trauma Center – ICU  
****4:14 p.m. **

"Eileen, Dear…" Jillian warmly greeted Nick's nurse. "My son Greg and his fiancée are here to visit Nicky." She didn't mind fibbing because Nick was adamant that they visit.

Glancing up at the couple standing next to her patient's mother, Eileen cocked her head. "Wow…you don't look much like your brother or your sisters. Are you sure you're not trying to scam your way in here?"

"No." Greg chuckled lightly. "Actually, I get that question a lot because I'm not blood related. I was their **foster** kid from the age of thirteen, when my missionary parents were seized and unjustly held in a Thai prison. Without the Stokes family I probably would have ended up on the streets. They're fantastic people…they even paid for me to attend Stanford. Do I still qualify as a relative? Because I really want to visit my brother."

Tawny and Jillian stood gaping at Greg.

"Aww." Placing her hand over her heart Eileen said, "Of course it does. But your sisters will have to leave, because three is the maximum number of visitors in an ICU room at any time." She pointed to waterless soap. "Just sanitize your hands for me before you go in."

"Thanks." Greg squeezed a glob of the alcohol-based cleanser into his palm.

Staring at her 'son' Jillian said, "I'll tell your sisters to skedaddle and let Nicky know you're here."

"Thailand…" Tawny wistfully sighed. "I went there looking for the ultimate nihilistic experience once."

Hearing the remark Eileen curiously asked, "What happened?"

As she scrubbed her hands Tawny replied, "I realized the utopia I found was really just a microcosm of society with all the same trappings and ills." She shrugged. "The reality is…people aren't perfect so they're unable to uphold the principles of an idyllic civilization over time."

"You two brainiacs must have met at Stanford."

"No," Tawny corrected. "I was raised Amish and Old Order Amish children only go to school until the eighth grade that's why I had to get my GED and am just starting college at twenty-two." When she saw the nurse's jaw drop she explained. "I know…I don't look Amish **now**. That's because during my rumspringa, which loosely translated means, 'running around', I decided to stay in modern society instead of returning to the farm and my family's Old Amish ways."

Having just returned from her son's room Jillian couldn't believe her ears. Placing one hand on each of their shoulders she directed the two silver-tongued lunatics into Nick's room. "Go easy on my boy and just be yourselves…although he's well rested at the moment, he's still gets quite weak from the blood loss and a tad fuzzy from the pain medication."

**Crime Lab - Trace  
****4:19 p.m. **

After hanging up with Jim, Grissom returned to Hodges. "Call me as soon as you know anything about either of the new cards."

"Of course." Hodges continued working without looking up. "Where will you be?"

On his way out the door Grissom answered the inquiry. "The home of Ben Rodgers…Mike's brother."

The mention of the word 'home' reminded Hodges to call Celeste. With their future uncertain, they had wisely decided to postpone the purchase of a home together and opt to rent a house for the approximately six month duration of their feasibility study. "Hi, Honey," he greeted, hoping to find her in a jovial mood.

"How's my favorite scientist? I hope you're wrapping things up because we're meeting the leasing agent in an hour."

"Yeah…" He glanced up at the clock and laboriously sighed. "That's why I'm calling. I received some top priority stuff and I can't leave probably for another two hours. Look…as long as there's enough room for your ferrets to be far away from me; there's adequate storage for our extensive collections of porcelain dolls and vintage board games; and it has a nice bedroom conducive to stimulating our love mojo…I can live there. So, if it's okay with you, I'll just trust you to pick something good. "

"Trust is important in a marriage."

Happy to hear optimism in her voice David sweetly offered, "How about when I get out of here I pick up some frozen corn dogs and cotton candy so later we can snuggle and watch The Six Million Dollar Man in the County Fair episode?"

"Ooh!" Celeste giggled with delight. "And after that we can watch Three Men and a **Baby**."

**University Trauma Center – ICU  
****4:22 p.m. **

Standing at Nick's bedside, Tawny had a vice grip on Greg's hand. Except for visiting fellow dancers after they had babies, she had never seen anyone in the hospital. Consequently, the sight of normally healthy and vibrant Nick now battered and frail with tons of equipment attached to him, had her weak in the knees. "Are you sure you're up for company?" she softly asked while choking back her tears. The guilt over telling Nick about his brother was resurfacing as she watched him wince while trying to scoot a little higher in bed.

"Let me help you, Bro." Breaking loose of Tawny's clutch, Greg grabbed the pillows that had slipped behind Nick's head. "I know all about being uncomfortable in the hospital. The trick is finding the right pillow arrangement and bed angle…the right drug dose helps too so, don't let them skimp on the meds. Oh and watch the nurses, because they'll come in while you're sleeping and switch the TV channel to a stupid soap opera. Then you'll have a smartass visitor accuse you of being a pansy who's secretly into Days of Our Lives…wait…that was **you **who teased me about that when you came to visit me in the Burn Unit." Upon seeing Nick smile Greg added, "Hmm…time for a little revenge…I wonder which one of these lines is your morphine drip?"

Watching Greg cheer up Nick and work to find a more comfortable position, Jillian was grateful that her son at least had a pseudo-brother looking after him. "Since you're in good hands, Nicky, I'm going to step outside. I think I'll go see if Carrie's still sleeping." Truthfully she wanted to see if there was an update on the Nigel issue, which they were determined to keep from him.

After a deep breath Nick called out, "Mama…" He caught her before she was through the door. "Barbara told me Carrie needs the rest so…make sure you don't wake her."

Greg laughed at his pal. "Even in the ICU you're a control freak. You must hate being trapped here."

"Hell…anything's better than dead," he soberly replied. "I was real spooked at first but Carrie calmed me down." Relaxed from the drugs he did a little oversharing. "I can't wait to get this damn tube full of stomach juice out of my nose though…and having my pee siphoned out of my johnson is humiliating…oh, but the worst was waking up tied to the bed naked and having a strange woman probe me…dude, that was 'abducted by aliens' creepy."

Greg chuckled. "Now that last one would have really appealed to me before I met Tawny because, I saw something similar in this movie called Alien Girls on Uranus..." When his fiancée punched him in the arm he shut up.

"Does it hurt a lot, Nick?" Tawny asked in a tiny voice.

"No, pain management's good…" He shifted his gaze to Tawny. "I just get real tired."

Greg checked the clock. "We talked to your doctor sister. She said it would take about twenty-four hours before the effects of the blood loss lessen."

Staring at the tube coming out of Nick's nose and over his black and blue puffed cheek Tawny clutched the bed rail. "I need to sit."

"Here." Greg grabbed a chair and helped her into it. "She's um…feeling real guilty about calling you about Drew."

Nodding, Nick slowly replied, "That's why I wanted to see you…to make sure you knew, even though this happened…I'm still glad you called." Carrie had told him Tawny was having a rough time and concerned over the health of the babies, he didn't want her stressed out.

"Really?" She cursed the tears spilling from her eyes because she promised herself she wouldn't cry and upset Nick. "Sorry for the waterworks. I asked your sister, since she's an OB, if it's normal to cry so easy during pregnancy…because…um…I really used to be much tougher."

"What did she say?" Nick prodded in a concerned tone.

Chuckling through her tears Tawny answered, "She said, from what you've told her about Greg, that it's understandable that the woman living with him and carrying his children would be stressed out."

The threesome shared a laugh then Tawny said, "I feel guilty going to California with you in here…since I'm her friend, I should be here for Carrie."

"No…we're fine…we've got my family here." Nick motioned for Greg to grab tissues. "You're slackin', Pal. Take care of your woman."

Greg snatched a few, gave them to Tawny then caressed her back. "Better?"

"Much." The company and the new bed angle and pillow combo lifting his spirits, Nick smiled. "Carrie told me about the half proposal…" He glanced at Greg and shook his head in frustration before turning back to Tawny. "I insist you go to California and get that damn ring on your finger. This guy has made you wait long enough…I don't want to be the reason you wait even longer. You're starting to show and you should have a ring so…"

"I'm starting to show!" Her hands raced to her abdomen. "No! I can't look pregnant until **after **California. Greg! Why didn't you tell me!"

Nick immediately corrected, "**I** know you look different because I knew you a month ago when you were a size zero with D-cups, but **strangers **won't think you're pregnant."

"What will strangers think?" she put her panic on hold.

Fuzzy from the medication, Nick had a hard time knowing what he was and wasn't doing or saying. "In California they'll just think you're an unbelievably gorgeous girl with outrageously bodacious breasts and a sinfully curvaceous bod, who Bev Sanders obviously bribed to be her son's date for the weekend, so he wouldn't show up **alone **for the umpteenth year in a row and fuel the rumor that he's gay." When he saw Tawny's horrified expression Nick realized he had indeed vocalized his thoughts.

Staring at his woozy pal, Greg deadpanned, "But do you think everyone there will believe she used to be Amish?"

"Amish?" Nick stared at Tawny's synthetic breasts. "Are you crazy?"

**Ely State Prison  
****4:36 p.m. **

Sitting across from the nutjob calling himself Digital Man, also known as Nigel Crane, Jim Brass now understood what the warden meant when he said that questioning this particular inmate would be frustrating.

"It's the digital age and I'm Digital Man that's who I am. Digital is everything…**everything**!" Rocking in his chair Nigel probed, "Are you digital Mr. Brass? Are you?"

"Yes." Jim nodded. "Just like I said I was two minutes ago when you asked me. Now answer my question…did you send flowers to someone today, Nigel? Did a little birdie tell you to send flowers to someone?"

"I hate birds!" Nigel's eyes narrowed. "They shit on your head when you're installing cable. Digital cable runs underground. Birds don't live underground." His smile returning he asked, "How many channels do you have Mr. Brass?"

"I don't know…maybe…"

"You don't know!" Incensed by the ignorance Nigel snapped, "How can you not know what you're paying for!"

Glancing over at the guard laughing at him Jim asked once more, "Flowers, Nigel…you send anyone flowers lately? Someone in the hospital?"

"Digital Man doesn't send flowers…he sends e-mail…'cause it's digital." Giddy with delight he inquired, "Are you high speed, Mr. Brass? If your modem's not cable…you're nobody. You're nobody and I'm Digital Man…that's who I am."

The guard shook his head. "He's blowing smoke…he doesn't have e-mail access. Well…maybe in his head he does."

"Nigel…" Jim held up a picture of Mike Rodgers. "Have you ever seen this guy? Ever sent him an e-mail?"

"Is he digital?" he asked in a wondrous tone. "He looks very Sports Package."

Jim re-tucked the photo in his pocket. "Okay, I'm through here." He stood and exhaled in frustration. "I'm high-speed enough to know you didn't send flowers to Nick in the hospital."

"My Nick…my Nick's in the hospital!" Nigel's happiness turned to panic. "What happened? Is he okay?" Rocking furiously he seethed. "No…no…no…"

As Jim watched Digital Man become disconnected he knew for sure Nigel had no prior knowledge of Nick's hospitalization. "Yeah…he's going to be okay."

"Did **she** hurt him!" Nigel blasted.

Jim's ears perked. "She who?"

"That bitch Carrie! I know all about her." Nigel spat, "She's ruining him. I heard she made him cancel his Sports Package!" Depressed at the thought he sighed, "He loved the Sports Package."

Jim returned to his seat. "How did you find out about Carrie, Nigel?"

"E-mail."

Jim looked to the guard.

The guard shrugged. "It could have been printed and given to him by a visitor…we'll have records."

"No paper for Digital Man. Paper's for losers." Nigel cracked a wide grin. "My e-mail gets delivered directly to my head…because I'm wired…I'm broadband…I'm Digital Man…that's who I am."

**Rodgers Home  
****5:07 p.m. **

"I'm Detective Vartann, LVPD." He flashed his ID to Ben Rodgers. "And this is Gil Gr…"

"I know who he is," Ben snipped. "He's the man responsible for my brother being unjustly imprisoned. He's the man who set up Mike to get him away from Sara." Pointing to the street Ben barked, "And he's not welcome on my property."

"Grissom…" Vartann mumbled, "How about you wait in the car while I…"

"How dare you show up on my doorstep after what you've put my family through!" Ben stepped outside and slammed the door, making the spectacle for the mesmerized neighbors a little more exciting. "You got what you wanted…Mike in prison and Sara in your bed. Now leave us the hell alone or I'm filing harassment charges against you and the County! I've always been a law abiding citizen just like my brother Mike and this is uncalled for but not surprising…no…yet again, it's a gross abuse of your power in this city."

"Grissom…" Vartann pointed to the Tahoe. This was how they figured it would play out.

Having observed enough, Gil finally relented. "I'll be in my truck."

"Mr. Rodgers…" Vartann feigned politeness. "I'm sorry if Dr. Grissom's presence upset you. I'm here because the folks at Ely said you visited your brother today." He left out the second part…and because we think there's a good chance that you, like your brother, are a lying, manipulative psycho.

"Yeah…I'm allowed, so what?"

"During your visit, did you happen to discuss Nick Stokes?"

"Damn straight we did." Ben stuffed his hands on his hips. "We talk about him and Grissom and Wendy Blake every time I visit because they're all guilty of conspiring against Mike."

"Did you know that Nick Stokes is in the hospital?"

"No…" Ben huffed, "And I don't give a shit if he is, unless you're going to tell me that he got hit on the head and finally realized Grissom brainwashed him into helping frame my brother. Mike was an excellent friend to Nick and the thanks he got was a stab in the back."

"Did you order flowers for Nick Stokes?"

Ben burst out laughing. "Yeah…right. Like I'm going to waste a dime of my hard earned money on Stokes instead of my brother's case. I'm done talking to you. If you have any other questions, submit them in writing to my family's attorney. We're always looking for stuff to use in the appeal." With that he opened the door, walked inside and slammed it.

**Drew and Melissa's Home  
****5:31 p.m. **

Walking through the ornate door leading into her fabulously decorated million dollar home Melissa Stokes was greeted by her two eldest children, Cassandra Anne, who would be five in a few weeks and three year old Matthew William. "Ooh, Mama missed you!" With her arms outstretched she pulled both in for a big snuggle. "I'm gonna squeeze you both silly!"

The housekeeper, Marta, waited off to the side to share the latest news.

"Where's Daddy?" Cassie bubbled. "I want to show him my new party dress."

"Sugar, it's only Tuesday, he's still travelin'." Melissa closed her eyes and clutched the kids a little tighter.

"I heard Miss Marta on the phone and she said you went to see him."

Melissa glanced up and saw the housekeeper mouth an apology. "Yeah…but he had to stay for some meetings."

Matt remained silent while snuggling his mother.

"I guess Daddy will see it as a surprise before the party on Saturday." Cassie twirled in a circle pretending she was wearing the chiffon party dress.

"Oh." Melissa suddenly remembered their plans to attend a friend's son's Bar Mitzvah that weekend and Drew's promise to Cassie that she'd be his dancing partner. Before leaving on this last trip he had been giving her lessons, letting her stand on his feet and every time he dipped her, Cassie's giggles filled the living room. "Marta…would you see to it that they wash up for supper. I need to um…"

"Sure." Marta scooted the children toward the stairs. "I'll be up in a minute to make sure you're scrubbing." Once they were upstairs, she delivered the news. "A couple of men came with an order to seize Drew's company car. I didn't know what to do. I gave them the keys. Cassie saw…I told her that her daddy had asked for a new car that's why the men were taking away the old one."

"Damn." Rubbing her palm over her throbbing forehead Melissa nodded. "Uh…I need a few minutes in the study."

"Take your time…I'll stall the kids."

"Thank you." The shock of her mother-in-law's phone call had left her functioning on autopilot and only now did she realize the ramifications of what she had done…taken her children's father out of their home…just like her mother had done to her when she was seven. The cycle was repeating and suddenly flashing in her mind were vivid memories of being shuffled between homes and crying for a missing parent every holiday. "What have we done?" She whispered as she locked the study's doors behind her. In her heart she knew there were two very guilty parties and three innocent victims caught up in this mess.

Stepping over to the crystal decanter of premium Scotch Drew always kept stocked at the bar, Melissa poured herself two fingers worth. Upon lifting the Waterford tumbler to her lips, her eyes locked on the photos adorning the cherry oak shelves lining the room. Their entire life was captured in snapshots, first as stunning Lissa Lexington, debutante turned supermodel, and dashing Andrew Stokes, rising businessman, former Aggie star quarterback, and member of a respected Dallas family…then as Mr. and Mrs. Stokes…and later as the model-perfect family complete with a golden retriever. In every one of the photos she and Drew were smiling bright and except for the last year, the smiles were genuine.

After downing the Scotch, Melissa took aim and hurled the glass at Drew's prized MVP trophy. When she missed, her first thought was…Drew would have gotten a good laugh out of that pathetic throw. "I hate you!" Dropping into a red leather chair, she let her tears flow. "And I hate me."

**Butterfield Academy  
****5:56 p.m. **

"I hate it here," Lindsay angrily whispered in Warrick's direction. "Look at the freaks walking the halls. Did you see what that geek girl was wearing! Just breathing the same air as her is going to ruin me for life."

"What's that, Linds?" Catherine loudly taunted. "You hope they have a chess club?"

"We do!" One of the sophomore Welcome Night guides wearing a yellow beret eagerly declared. "Hi!" The height-challenged pimply teen extended his hand and read the newbie's nametag. "Lindsay Willows, I'm Barney Stempo."

Ignoring the hand, Lindsay smiled, "Barney STUMPo?"

"Stempo…Barney St**em**po." With his index finger he shoved his glasses back in position. "That's okay…lots of people make that mistake."

"**Barney **like the purple dinosaur kids watch on TV?" Lindsay heard her mother's eyes roll.

"Were you a Barney fan too!"

Catherine replied on behalf of her daughter. "On rainy days she likes to get out her old Barney video collection and sing along."

The tenured Butterfield Academy student shrieked, "Then I bet you'll want to join the glee club for sure!"

Lindsay retorted, "Kill me before this gets any worse."

"Mr. Brown! Ms. Willows!" Sean Blake enthusiastically greeted when he saw familiar faces. "Hi, Lindsay."

"Too late," Lindsay droned. "It's worse."

Barney saw the newest guest's nametag. "Sean Blake! We heard about you. You won Battle of the Books for your school last year and took home the blue ribbon at the County science fair."

Gushing with pride Sean nodded. "That's me."

Wendy showed up a minute later with a hand full of pamphlets. "Hi, guys. Wow! This place is fantastic, isn't it? I'm thrilled Sean gets to attend." Proudly, she tossed her arm around her boy and rejoiced that he earned a full scholarship.

"I'm thrilled Lindsay can attend too." Catherine mimicked the motherly behavior. "It's going to be worth every penny of that ten grand a year."

Warrick bristled while thinking…yeah, ten grand of your sperm donor's blood money.

"Hey!" Barney exuded excitement. "Do you want to meet our school mascot?"

"You have **sports** here?" Lindsay skeptically asked. "Do you outsource?"

"Of course we have sports!" he replied. "We don't have football but we love baseball because of the stats!"

Having read every piece of information in existence about his new school Sean announced, "And they have a track and field team. I'm joining."

Lindsay scoffed, "As what? **The pole** the athletes use to vault?"

"That's it." Taking Lindsay by the arm, Warrick guided her down the hall until he found an empty classroom. "Sit!" He pointed to a chair. "And don't say a word until I'm through."

"Whoa…"

"Hey!" He pointed his finger. "I said no talking."

Unable to trust herself, Lindsay covered her mouth with her palm.

"Here's the deal…" Stuffing his hands on his hips he verbalized what he had been thinking for a while. "You introduce me as your stepfather to your friends and you're constantly on your mother's case about not being married to me to make the title legit, well guess what, Lindsay? I'm not taking the title without doing the job and no daughter of mine is going to mouth off to her schoolmates just because they're not as cool as you **think** you are…and here's a newsflash…to be cool in my eyes doesn't mean being the kid with the wisest mouth and the trendiest clothes. Those were** exactly** the kids in school I avoided like the plague." Pointing toward the door he snapped, "After watching your behavior out there, you couldn't look less cool to me and I would be embarrassed if you referred to me as your stepdad because everyone would immediately think I'm a lousy parent."

"I'm really sorry," she squeaked. Then she remembered she wasn't supposed to be talking.

"As of right now, things are changing." Pulling up a chair he took a seat directly across from her and softened his voice. "I've already had this conversation with your mother. Since we started living together I've been trying to stay out of things that I truly thought weren't my business, but not anymore. As I see it…if I love your mother and you, then everything about you is my business. So, from here on out…if I'm not happy with something…I'm speaking my mind. And right now my mind is saying…you better get your butt back out there, slap a smile on your face, and be grateful that you are being given the **opportunity **of a fantastic education when kids in poor parts of this city are thrilled to attend school because it makes them eligible for free breakfast and lunch from the state." With that he stood and opened the door. "Welcome to Butterfield Academy, Lindsay."

In silence she stood, walked through the door and approached the first guide wearing a yellow beret she saw. "Excuse me…" Glancing over her shoulder she made sure Warrick was within earshot. "Hi, my name is Lindsay and I'm really psyched about starting here tomorrow. Could you tell me where I can sign up for sports?"

**Crime Lab  
****7:52 p.m. **

Sara, Grissom, Sofia, Pete and Brass had been sitting around the table in Conference Room B reviewing the day's findings for twenty minutes when Sara started laughing. "Prison has only made him better at these games because he's had plenty of quiet time to hone his craft."

"That doesn't mean he won't slip up," Gil reminded his impatient wife.

"No…you're missing the point," Sara corrected. "He's not sitting in prison worried about slipping up. He's playing these games trying to make **us** slip up." Staring at her husband Sara announced, "He's trying to take us all down. The card to Carrie…clearly he wants to tweak Nick into doing something that jeopardizes his future. If Nick does something crazy to protect Carrie, for example…going after Ben Rodgers and he goes to jail…Mike gets a double bang for his buck. Nick's life as he knows it is over and, you know Carrie isn't going to move on after that so, Nick has to sit in prison knowing he's destroyed her happiness too." She moved her gaze from person to person. "I think we all know Nick would have to serve his sentence in a padded room wearing a straightjacket if that happened. That kind of mental anguish is a wet dream for Mike."

Sofia sank in her chair. "And considering events of late…I honestly believe it could happen. The statements Ben Rodgers made to you, Gil make it sound like he's setting up the scenario. He spoke of harassment and Nick being brainwashed…and he spoke of it loudly in front of neighbors. All it would take is Nick busting down the door while wearing his gun and it's over. If Nick had seen Carrie's intense reaction to Nigel's card and he suspected Ben Rodgers coordinated it…" Shaking her head she sighed. "Yeah."

"What about me?" Gil asked, curious to see if his wife had come up with the same answer as him.

"He wants you to lose me…but not in death because that would just make you mourn me and feel sorrow. That's not fun for him." Sara raised a brow. "He'll only be happy if I **choose **to leave you just like I did in Tahoe. Then you'll be right where you were supposed to be a year ago…alone…and watching me live my life without you. As a bonus he's hoping I'll raise your child without you…so your child will grow up fatherless just like you."

Brass glanced up at the board. "Ben did emphasize you gaining Sara twice." He shrugged. "I agree that death wouldn't give him much of a rush. He only kills when he gets bored of the game or when someone is in his way of having fun and he has fun by screwing with people."

Gil felt the weight of everyone's stares as his personal life was analyzed.

Massaging his temples Brass said, "Sorry…I'm trying to think of something light and/or upbeat to say but Digital Man exhausted me and I'm at a loss."

"Okay…then," Gil pointed to the board. "Moving on to our next concern."

**5 and Diner  
****8:10 p.m. **

Wendy and Sean sat in the curved booth with Warrick, Catherine and Lindsay enjoying a banana split. "This was a great idea, Lindsay," Wendy remarked while setting down her spoon. "Thanks for asking us along.

While Catherine had been shocked that her daughter did such a thing, Warrick wasn't surprised at all. Apparently a little Tough Love was exactly what Lindsay needed. Thinking back, he realized she had been craving it all along. "So do you two have any classes together?" he asked.

"American History, Spanish, Physical Education and Art," Sean quickly answered, having memorized both of their schedules. "I'm two years ahead of my grade level in Math and Science so we'll never have those together."

"It's not polite to brag," Lindsay chided after swallowing the last bite of her brownie sundae.

"I wasn't bragging," Sean assured her. "I was stating a fact."

"I have plenty of facts about you I'd like to state but…" Feeling the heat of Warrick's glare Lindsay halted her tirade before it began. "We really should get going," she said instead. "Since it's a school night, I want to get a good night's sleep."

**University Trauma Center – ICU  
****9:12 p.m. **

When Nick emerged from his latest nap, before he had the strength to open his eyes, he heard Carrie and his sister Barbara talking nearby. Still too groggy to be an active participant, he kept his eyelids shut and opted to listen.

"You really have to work at marriage, Carrie," Barbara counseled. "The first couple of years Doug and I cruised right through then both of our careers took off and we barely saw each other. It's easy to drift if you don't put in the effort. I'll never forget the day he said, 'we have to have a serious talk about our future'…we stayed up all night discussing how we had gone from this devoted loving couple who made love five times a week to roommates passing each other in the hall with barely a kiss and what we needed to do to get back on track."

As a curious bride-to-be on Valium, Carrie listened intently with a glazed look in her eyes. "Is that what you think happened to your brother and Melissa? They got off track and never took the time to have that all night meeting?"

Sighing heavily Barbara slouched a little further in her chair. "In case you haven't noticed, let me point out something about my family…perfection is valued. Growing up it was strongly encouraged in academics, sports, behavior and most of all image, because my parents had reputations to protect. Daddy always said if his children weren't projecting good values then people would suspect he and Mama didn't have them and it would taint people's trust in them. No one took the concept of the perfect image more seriously than Andy. Hell, in high school he actually collapsed one day from starving himself trying to get leaner while working out four hours a day."

"You think he couldn't cope with Melissa not being perfect anymore?"

"I do," Barbara confessed. "The thing is, she couldn't cope with it either because she was as bad as Andy about body image, if not worse. After the first two kids she wore her size two jeans within weeks but after the third…she fell into a funk and actually gained weight. After being a model since the age of ten, the girl wasn't used to having anything but the perfect body. Then Andy started harping on her about it and she became so paranoid she wouldn't let him touch her…I mean not even a hug, for fear he'd feel fat." Barbara smiled at her sleeping brother. "I know you're aware of Nicky's overactive libido."

Carrie felt her cheeks flush.

"Andy's worse if you can believe it. Once Melissa froze him out of bed, he flipped. For the first time since he was fifteen he wasn't getting any regularly and there was no end to the freeze in sight. Tawny was just one in a long line I'm sure. I'm mad as hell at both of them frankly. They didn't try to fix things…they could have went to counseling…something…anything. Instead, they just decided to get pissed at each other and let the anger grow. It's fine to do that when you're just a couple but they have three kids…dammit I'm ticked all over again. That's why I'm blabbing all this…normally I'd keep my lips shut but I'm too upset and need to talk it through with someone."

"Do you think the same thing could happen with Nicky and me? I just gained five pounds on vacation and he mentioned that my jeans looked tight on my ass." Her paranoia growing she asked, "What if I can't bounce back after pregnancy? Is perfection so ingrained in his brain that he'll find me unattractive and think about…"

"Not a chance," Nick groggily answered as he opened his eyes. "And if you chill for a minute and think about it…I said now that your jeans were tighter they really showed off your beautiful ass."

"Oh yeah." Carrie's smile returned.

Barbara stood up chuckling. "And that's my cue to say goodnight." Walking over the bed she pecked her brother's cheek. "The doctor won't tell you this until discharge, but I'm gonna break the news to you early, Bro. You won't be allowed to strain your abdomen for six weeks…that includes sex of any sort…even the kind I found you having with yourself in the treehouse when you were twelve."

"Six weeks?" Carrie and Nick simultaneously lamented. Then Carrie added, "The treehouse, Nicky? Eww!"

Barbara defended him, "Well, Mama always said, 'no sex under my roof' and Nicky liked to follow the rules."

When Carrie finally stopped laughing, she shared the silly litigious thought that initiated her giggles. "He was **getting off** on a technicality!"

"No, it was a lingerie catalogue actually," Barbara quipped before hurrying through the door. "Night!"

After catching her breath Carrie teased, "Aww…were you trying to discover Victoria's secret, Nicky?" Laughing with him, she ran her fingers through his hair.

Suddenly Nick's pulse-ox alarm sounded and Blanche, the night nurse, came sailing in. "Too much laughter, Mr. Stokes." She immediately began checking the rest of the monitors.

"Too much embarrassment," Nick corrected. "Speaking of which…when can I pee standing up and get this damn tube out of my nose so my stomach gas can come out the natural way?"

**The Mandalay Bay **

**10:45 p.m. **

Lying on the bed Sara yelled in the direction of the guest room's bathroom, "Seriously…how much longer are you going to be in there? It's not like we're home and I have choices. We're sharing."

Miffed, he declared, "it's only been two minutes!"

"It's been ten!"

"I'm not wearing a watch," he explained from the other side of the door.

To which she laughingly retorted, "Can't you tell by how many pages you've read!"

"See…Rodgers has it all wrong if he thinks making us spend more time together in closer quarters will drive us apart. It's making me feel closer to you." With that he flushed. "I'm washing my hands!"

"Thank you!" Sara jumped off the bed and waited for the door to open. Thirty seconds later she was sorry it did. "Did you forget to turn on the fan?"

"It's not working."

"What!" Sara tossed up her hands. "Your father is paying thousands a day to stay here, how can anything be broken? Even the ice shouldn't be cracked in this place."

He logically explained, "The only way to know it was broken would be to have someone try to use it and no one was staying in this room and in need of the fan until now."

"Oh, great…I didn't pack my Bath and Bodyworks room freshener either."

"Here." Gil reached into the tall glass of ice water Sara had on her bedside table and plucked out the lemon wedge.

The feel of the ice cold lemon juice being squirted under nose and rubbed into her skin made her jump. "What the…"

"It's an old coroner's trick when you're caught smelling something nasty and don't have the usual supplies." He grinned with pride and handed Sara the Parenting magazine Lina had placed on the bedside table. "I'll start timing you when the door shuts."

**Catherine's House**

**11:01 p.m. **

When Catherine emerged from the bathroom wearing her newest piece of inspiring lingerie, she was happy to see Warrick already in bed with the covers teasingly blanketing him up to the hips. "We have the night off…and I know just how I want to spend it." With a devilish glint in her eye Catherine sauntered over to the bed.

"Me too, Baby." Warrick reached out and pulled her on top of him, kissing her deeply while rolling her off to the side.

"Mmm…" She closed her eyes and waited for his next smooth move. "I could go all night."

"I could too, Cath…but in a different way." Cupping her face Warrick lovingly but seriously said, "We need to have to have a serious talk about our future."

**The Townhouse**

**11:12 p.m. **

"I'm so nervous, I can't sleep," Tawny jittered as she fluffed her bed pillow for the tenth time.

"Take off your pajamas and turn over," Greg instructed as he tossed his magazine to the floor.

"I'm way too preoccupied for **that**, Greg"

"No," he sweetly chuckled. "I'm going to give you a massage…no strings attached, I promise."

"Oh." Flipping her bare body she giggled, "Sometimes it's still a little hard for me to believe a guy doesn't always want something in return."

"I do want something in return…I want you to relax, because I love you and I want don't want the babies feeding off your stress vibe." In the interest of sounding completely unselfish, he omitted the other two reasons…she was driving him insane and he was** really **tired.

"Awww." She closed her eyes waiting to be spoiled.

Grabbing the remote he announced, "I'll change the music to something New Age to get you Zen." Then, he reached over and opened his bedside drawer. After sorting through the various supplies Tawny had stocked in there, he selected a bottle of Macadamia Nut massage oil. "Pretend you're on the beach in…"

"California!" She tensed at the reminder.

"**Fiji**…a desolate beach…just the two of us." He poured the oil into his palm and smiled.

"Wait…what does Fiji look like?" she asked while he warmed the oil between his hands. "Because I can't imagine something if I don't know what it's like."

Trying not to laugh at how stressful this supposedly relaxing endeavor was so far he suggested, "How about Hawaii?"

"Oh, okay, that I've seen in movies." She closed her eyes again. "White sand, tall palm trees, volcanoes…"

"Which are dormant with absolutely no chance of eruption." Bringing his glistening palms to her shoulders he soothed, "And on this particular stretch of beach in Hawaii there are no poisonous creatures, no chance of tidal waves or storms of any kind, and there are no sharks or other dangerous life forms in the water should you choose to go swimming."

Laughing Tawny said, "Okay, I get it…I'm neurotic."

"No, you're detailed and creative."

"On my beach the **only** thing I can hear is the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore."

Chuckling he asked, "Is that your **creative **way of telling me to shut up?"

"Yes!"

"Okay." After kissing her cheek Greg whispered, "Sweet Dreams, Princess." Next he kissed her left hand. "The next night we share this bed together, I'll have made at least one of your dreams come true."

"Mmm." Tawny's thoughts quickly turned from Hawaii to the sight of Greg holding a diamond ring and sporting a smile just as brilliant.

"How's Hawaii?" he softly asked a few minutes later while caressing her back.

Sighing, she drifted into slumber. "Beautiful."

**Author's Notes:**

Thanks for reading! There is quite a variety of scenes in the chapter and I hope everyone found a little happiness.

Thanks for the reviews Misty J and Rojaji!

**Next Chapter**: It's the first day of school for the teens…Grissom and Sara look back on a painful memory then look forward to their upcoming Tahoe trip -plus Sara goes to the OB Doc…someone snaps and makes a surprising threat…The Brass Man comes through again…Cath pays a visit to Nick making an offer she hopes he won't refuse…Tawny gets some advice from Ron Grissom right before leaving for CA. **Posting:** Tuesday.

Thanks,  
Maggs


	13. Chapter 13

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 13**

**August 31, 2005  
****Crime Lab  
****6:58 a.m. **

In an effort to maintain Nick's conformist morning routine, Pete, in his role as temporary Days Supervisor, called the traditional seven a.m. rally meeting. "Um…" Rattled by Grissom's presence and the responsible role, he searched frantically for his notes. "I know I had my…"

"Here…" Jas picked up the yellow sheet from the floor. "Is this what you're looking for?"

"Yeah…" He smiled at his secret girlfriend when her hand brushed his. "Thanks."

Under the table Sara poked her husband's thigh. She had told him last night that she suspected Jas and Pete were an item but Grissom didn't believe her. Sara of course took the opportunity to remind him he'd always been a little clueless about office romance…particularly his own.

Sofia, still irritated by Pete from the old days, snipped, "Can we hurry this along? The bumbling but lovable Temp Supervisor routine is wearing thin and it's only minute four of day one."

Suddenly Jas was reminded why she hated working with Sofia when they used to be on the same shift. But unlike before, now she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. "Hey! How about cutting him slack? It's not like this was planned. We were still recovering from being two men down and Relief Shift making a mess of things around here when Brass asked him to fill in until Nick's back on his feet."

"Wow…look who grew a spine." Sofia flicked her hair off her shoulder. "That ought to make things a little more fun around here."

Sara glanced at Pete smiling. "Are you enjoying the job so far?"

"Um…" When Pete saw Grissom check his watch he hurried to grab a marker for the whiteboard. "Oh shit." His coffee spilled directly into his lap. "Uh…"

Grissom rolled his eyes. "This is why I never had these meetings."

"Maybe Jas will clean up your wet spot while you get some fresh pants, Pete," Sofia grinned, knowing that the not-so-secret couple was squirming.

Just then Judy showed up at the door. "Two DBs at a campsite. Rumor has it there are bugs."

"Yes!" Grissom stood, happy to be done with playing the supportive guy Jim demanded he be at Pete's first meeting. "I mean…yes, I'll be more than happy to lead that case because I'm working on some procedural notes on processing multi-victim sites for new training materials."

Sofia and Sara both raised their hands chiming, "Pick me! Pick me!"

Grissom pointed at both. "But we'll have to drive separately because Sara has a mid-morning doctor's appointment and Sofia…you get on my nerves."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****7:11 a.m. **

"How are you doing this morning, Sugar? Any calmer?" Jillian warmly inquired when she saw Carrie walking through the front door with Bill.

"Much." Carrie accepted the maternal hug offered. "Since she speaks doctor, Barbara is accompanying Nicky when they take him for an abdominal CT scan. If the surgeon doesn't see any signs of bleeding and thinks everything looks good, they'll remove his naso tube and catheter and transfer him out of ICU this afternoon."

"Excellent." Jillian smiled over Carrie's shoulder at her husband.

Pointing towards the bedroom she announced, "I'm going to quickly grab a much needed shower and put on fresh clothes. I want to be back at the hospital by eight."

Releasing the girl from her embrace she asked, "Would you like me to make some of that French Toast you loved the other day?"

"Yes! I'm starving, thanks."

When Carrie was behind the closed bedroom door Jillian asked her husband, "Now how is she really doing?"

"That's the Valium talking I'm afraid." Tossing Carrie's car keys he sighed, "I believe she'd be a bundle of nerves otherwise. Not that I blame her. I saw what was written in that card about Nick's protection of her being a curse. We raised two very hot-headed boys, Jilly…how did that happen?"

"I believe it happened when we weren't there…too much happened when we weren't there. Which reminds me…" Taking a seat on the couch she patted the cushion. "…we need to talk."

**Catherine's House  
****7:25 a.m. **

Since they were up talking until four a.m., Catherine and Warrick moved about the kitchen like zombies getting things ready for Lindsay's special first day of school breakfast.

"Don't talk about the uniform," Lindsay implored as she approached. "And** please**…no pictures." Then she noticed how awful they both looked. "Are you too hungover to drive me?"

"We're not hungover, Lindsay." Catherine breathed in the espresso wafting from her cup. "We were up late talking."

"Oh….**talking**." Rolling her eyes she took a seat at the table.

"Yes…**talking**." Warrick plopped a glass of orange juice in front the smirking girl. "We had lots to discuss and a bunch of it was about you."

"I've been good!"

Warrick laughed. "For the last twelve hours, most of which you were sleeping…yes. Your mom and I discussed some **long-term** behavior goals for you."

"We watched the movie, Thirteen," Catherine warned. "And I know what can happen if we don't keep you on the right track, around the right people. And just so there are no misunderstandings of what you're not allowed to do…no tattoos, no piercings, no drinking, no drugs, no violence, no stealing, no sexual activity, no sneaking away to parties, no…"

"Mom!" Lindsay stopped her. "Could you chill and not ruin my first day vibe? I'm actually trying to get into it."

Warrick kneaded Catherine's shoulders and whispered, "Not the approach we discussed."

Catherine quickly changed gears. "How would you like your eggs this morning 7th grader?"

**The Blakes  
****7:34 a.m. **

While Sean had been up since five and dressed in his school uniform by six, Wendy focused her efforts on Ryan. "Get a move on, now!" she yelled into his room.

"Okay…okay."

"It's your sister's first day of kindergarten and I want to take family pictures out front with her." Which brought her to her next issue. "Put on a shirt with a collar."

"For school!" He was appalled.

"For pictures, you can change after. And Ryan…" Shutting the door she whispered, "You remember what I said yesterday…no making fun of your brother's uniform. If you act immature I'll only take Sean to visit Nick in the hospital later."

Trudging to the closet he droned, "Collar…maturity…got it."

"Thank you." Feeling confident she strolled into the hall and right into her daughter. "Aww…I think all your new friends at school will love your ladybug dress."

When Ryan joined them he was sporting a navy blue polo. "Better?"

"Much."

Sean stepped into the hall. "Picture time?"

"Dude…" Ryan almost forgot his promise when he saw his brother in the crested blazer and dress clothes he was required to wear. "I like the uniform, Bro. It's very um…um…" Holding up the copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone he was bringing for the daily mandated reading period at school, he thought of something positive to say. "It's very Hogwarts. Too bad you guys don't get to wear the cool capes and learn magic."

"Who says we don't?" Sean laughed. "Be careful…I may learn how to transform you into a toad."

McKenna took her brother's hand. "That's okay, Ryan…if that happens, all you need to do is have a girl kiss you on the lips and then you'll turn into a prince."

**The Townhouse  
****7:45 a.m. **

"Princess…" Greg whispered in his future wife's ear as she slumbered. "Time to wake up. We have a few things to do this morning before heading to the airport, remember?"

"Mmm." She rolled away and burrowed under the covers.

"I have a special song to play for you." Walking over to the stereo in his boxers, Greg upped the volume and played the tune he had cued to a specific part. It was The Beach Boys, in honor of the California trip, and the song selected was Wouldn't It Be Nice, to celebrate the upcoming ritual.

As soon as he saw Tawny waking Greg turned the volume down a bit and dove into bed. "Morning!" Then, he grabbed the remote and spoke rapidly into it like a 1960s radio DJ. "Hey all you hep cats and chicks…this song goes out to Tawny, who's a little nervous about her first trip to Surf City USA. A real cool daddy-o named Greg wants her to know that he thinks she's groovy fab and he's sure their trip will be outta sight!"

Clicking the mute button Greg vibrated with excitement. "Guten Morgen, Ann Yoder…also known as, Tawny Ann Cooper and in the very near future…Tawny Sanders. Wow…I don't think I ever said that out loud before…it's wild!"

"And so are you." Giggling she asked, "Exactly how many cups of coffee did you have already this morning, Chuckles?"

"Just one…" Tickling her he clarified, "With three shots of espresso in it and double sugar! Woo hoo!" In between eager kisses to her still macadamia scented flesh he commented, "You fell asleep naked…that's so convenient."

Pushing him away she warned, "Sorry…the pregnant girl needs to powder her nose first."

"Yeah…you may also wanna brush while you're in there." A second later a pillow smacked him in the face. "I thought the Amish were a non-violent people!"

The sound of the house phone interrupted the play.

Grabbing the cordless Greg said, "I'll get this while you take care of business, then when you return we can continue our monkey business." When he saw it was his mother's cell phone he answered, "Sorry, Greg can't come to the phone right now because he's…"

"We have a glitch," Bev announced.

"I really don't need one of those this morning." Staring at his multi-color striped boxers Greg watched his excitement fade.

"Guess what your father did? Your normally predictable and non-spontaneous father!"

"Uh…went to bed without brushing?"

"He surprised me with a new sports car!"Bev yelled in between laughs. "He said he did it because I had been talking non-stop about how much I loved your Z, which I of course I was doing so when you 'sold' it to me it wouldn't look suspicious. Now you can't have my Camry because I don't have my Camry."

"Uh…I already spent the money you gave me for the Z…I paid off the loan and then bought diamonds with the rest."

"I know, Sweetie." Bev sighed. "So, I'm proposing you just trade it in and get something else and whatever you need to cover above the trade-in price, I'll give you."

Crashing back against the pillows his guilt festered. "But you already gave me way too much when you bought the Z. No…I'll trade it in and get something used and..."

"Hey…those are my grandbabies and it's my prerogative to make sure they have a safe vehicle. After you propose you can tell your father that since you're settling down you don't need the sports car and want something roomier because you're starting a family…two months ago. It could be a good segue! Your dad will love it…he'll think it's very responsible….except the part about you getting Tawny pregnant on your first date…with twins."

With his morning buzz eradicated Greg sighed. "Okay…thanks."

"Hey…a weird thing happened yesterday."

"Oh."

"I saw Becca at the club. I couldn't talk because I had a tennis match, but she said the oddest thing in passing…she said that you had been in touch and she was looking forward to hanging out with you this weekend and starting over. I got the distinct impression she thought she had a shot at a future with you."

Stunned, he blurted, "What the hell would make her think that!"

"Damned if I know. When was the last time you spoke with her? I was going to mention Tawny but didn't, because you specifically told me not to several times."

"I did?"

"Yes, because you wanted everyone to surprised when you finally showed up with a date…and a gorgeous one at that!"

"Oh…right." He glanced toward the closed bathroom door. "Well, I changed my mind. You can tell anyone, **especially** Becca, that I'm in a serious relationship. Oh, but Mom…if anyone asks about Tawny's background, please tell them that she lived among the Amish until she was eighteen."

"With those boobs!"

"I've got an explanation for that…okay, on second thought, don't tell anyone anything until I get there and brief you." His smile returned when he saw Tawny emerge from the bathroom naked and smiling. "Sorry, Tawny needs me! Love ya! See you this afternoon."

"Everything okay?" she asked while returning under the covers.

"Great!" He shucked his boxers, ready to relieve some of the tension that had built up inside him.

"I don't have the slightest urge to vomit."

"That's good, considering you just watched me get naked."

"I meant from morning sickness." Eyeing him she cleared her throat. "Talking to your mommy killed your mood, huh?"

"Yeah…" Laughing he pulled her close. "Dr. Myers would say that's a good thing."

**University Trauma Center – ICU  
****8:12 a.m. **

"Thanks, Doc," Nick told his surgeon upon hearing the good news that his CT scan showed no signs of internal bleeding and he would be transferred out of ICU that afternoon. "I feel a hundred percent better than yesterday.

"Great." Doctor Singh nodded, "Take care, Mr. Stokes and I'll see you tomorrow in your new room."

Carrie watched the relief build in Nick's eyes. "That's fantastic and I really needed some good news. Maybe I'll even be able to stop doping today."

Reaching out Nick took Carrie's hand. "I'm really sorry I put you through this, Honey."

"Hey…" She burst into a smile. "You reached out for my hand instead of the other way around. You are feeling better." Placing her hand on his bruised cheek she smooched his puffy lips. "You still look like hell though."

"I haven't seen myself."

"Here." Grabbing her purse she retrieved her compact. "Check yourself out, Stud."

As he studied his battered reflection Nick mumbled, "Stud…"

"Nicky?" Carrie saw his cheerful expression melt away. "Honey, it's only temporary…just bruising."

In a distant voice he said, "You got a bracelet for me too, Stud?" They were the words that started it all and suddenly, like a movie, the events at the Tempest played in his mind.

"Nicky!" Carrie gently shook him. "Are you feeling okay? Where did you go just now?"

"My brother's lyin'." Returning the compact to Carrie, Nick took a deep breath. "About the fight…"

"You remember what happened?"

"Yeah." Deflated, he admitted, "We had words over Tawny and I slugged him. He didn't do anything but laugh. Then we got into a heated debate over marriage and raising kids…" Glancing up at Carrie, Nick swallowed hard. "He said I should be ashamed that I'm marrying you without a proper house or the money to give our kids the good things in life…like a private education."

While her ire towards Andy re-ignited Carrie spoke sweetly, "Nicky, come on…you don't** really **believe a big house and a big time financial portfolio mean more to me than a man I can trust, do you?"

"It's not that…" Hanging his head he confessed, "I was walking away because I had enough of his warped rationalizations but then…he started in about you."

"About me? What could he say about me? He hadn't even met me at the time." This time her anger penetrated her happy Valium haze. "What did that asshole say about me! Sorry…sorry…" She waved to Eileen through the window. "Staying calm!"

"He said I had no right to judge him because once you have kids, pack on twenty pounds and don't want to fall into bed every day…I'd um…cheat on you." Blowing out a heavy breath Nick told her, "I started the fight…for him disrespecting you. I didn't break his nose in self-defense…I broke it trying to beat the shit out of him…and I was psyched when I did. He's lying in the police report sayin' it was one-sided." Shaking his head he recalled the moment. "I swear he was proud of me when I managed to pull it off. He said…'I'll be damned, you broke my nose' with the same voice he used when I caught a winning touchdown for the first time."

Truly it was the last thing Carrie wanted to hear. It was just what Mike Rodgers was counting on. "We talked about this…we talked about you getting tweaked whenever you think I'm being threatened. I know you want to protect me…I know you want to make sure nothing else happens to me, but it has to stop. It's what he wants…and at this rate he's going to win." Backing away she looked at him with terror in her eyes. "I'm serious when I say this, Nicky…if you can't control it then I'll have to…by leaving."

"Carr…" Stunned into silence he just gaped.

"I'd never leave you for another man, or because you couldn't buy a million dollar house…but I will give you back this ring and call off the wedding if it's the only way to save you." Shaking she continued backing towards the wall. "My father almost killed my brother over what happened to me and it still haunts me. I'll lose my mind if you go to jail or die over me. I won't I let that happen! Do you hear me, Nicky! If you can't save yourself from Mike, then I will!" Her hysteria mounting she shouted, "I'll leave and go somewhere you'll **never **find me. Do you understand? Do you!"

Eileen came rushing in just as Nick's pulse-ox alarm rang. One look at Carrie and she ordered, "That's it, Ms. Blake…you need to go. And Mr. Stokes…you need to take a few deep breaths and calm down."

With tears streaming down her cheeks, she ran out the door and past Barbara who was coming back from the cafeteria.

"Wh…" Barbara stepped into the room. "What happened?"

Watching the monitor Eileen replied, "They quarreled."

"Nicky?" She found that hard to believe.

"I um…" After a jagged breath he requested, "Could you come back later, Sis? Thanks."

"Sure." She turned and left the room.

Once the alarm stopped Eileen quietly asked, "Would you like me to ban visitors for a while?"

"Please…" He glanced away so she wouldn't see the emotion building in his eyes.

"Any exceptions?"

In a shaky voice he replied, "Um…yeah, actually…my uncle…Jim Brass. Could you dial his number for me?"

Patting her tense patient's shoulder she smiled supportively. "You bet."

**Dales Trail  
****8:42 a.m. **

When Gil saw his wife standing in the middle of the field staring at the ground he stopped processing and walked over. "You doing okay?"

"Huh?" Raising her camera she replied, "Yeah…I was just wondering how the killer got…"

"I don't think you were." He tugged off his gloves. "When we found out the location I didn't think it was a good idea for you to return here."

Pointing at the ground, Sara said, "Right here is where I made my move…he was about to force me into the truck."

Gil pulled his baseball cap down a little further. "It was a good plan, Sara."

"Just think about everything that wouldn't be happening right now if Greg didn't pull off killing that guy." Running her palm over her womb she smiled, "We wouldn't be married or having a baby…Tawny wouldn't be having two…and she'd probably be working as Drew's courtesan. It really makes me wish I had come back here a little sooner."

Gil raised a brow. "Really?"

"Yeah…I feel centered again…and committed to not falling for anything Mike has in the works." Her smile returned. "I can't wait to return to Tahoe on my birthday too. We've barely mentioned the crisis over your dad's appearance since we returned. I think it will be good to remember…it'll bring us even closer."

"We'll take the glass out of the box and spend a little time…**centering**, as you call it. It's in storage in the cabin's garage."

"Yeah." Her smiled widened. "And I definitely want to go Batting again."

"You bet your ass we'll be bat watching again." Glancing around he verified everyone was occupied and then stole a quick kiss. "I didn't want to spoil any of the surprises I have in store but…I bought a shelter to sit in at the beach, since it will be colder this time and…" Oozing with geeky excitement he announced, "…a night vision camera so we can document our sightings."

"Ooh!" Sara bubbled with enthusiasm. "I can put the bat photos in my scrapbook."

Laughing he said, "I don't think that's what Carrie had in mind when she bought you the supplies as a gift."

"Hey, there's no chance in hell that the Grissom family scrapbook will look anything like the Stokes one."

"Yeah…the lack of sports photos being one major difference."

"Speaking of sports..." After snapping a photo of a shoe print Sara chuckled, "…this time in Tahoe, I'm gonna kick your ass at Scrabble."

Walking away he gave a hearty laugh. "You've got seventeen days to cling to that dream, Honey. And I won't go easy on you because it will be your birthday." Turning to face her he shouted across the field, "I predict a **frabjous** victory!"

"For me!"

**Desert Mountain Middle School  
****8:53 a.m. **

Walking down the hall as a seventh grader was a lot more appealing to Ryan Blake than being the low man on campus the previous year as a sixth grader. "Dude!" he called out to his friend Jake when he saw him approaching. "What's up?"

"If you saw the girl I just saw you would know the answer." Craning his neck he tried to spot her. "She's new from LA and you know what that means…she's fast. She already got busted by the dress code police for the length of her skirt, but since it's the first day they give everyone a pass. So you better catch up with her before the last bell because tomorrow she'll have to wear something longer or be sent home."

Laughing as he pulled his tossed his new math book in his locker Ryan said, "I bet your Church Pastor father would be thrilled to hear you say that."

Flashing his good boy smile Jake laughed along. "Being the Pastor's son, no one expects me to be thinking like that…that's why I can get away with so much shit." Just then Mrs. Torres, a music teacher and a member of his father's congregation strolled by. "Hello, Mrs. Torres." Jake politely waved. "My father sent his blessings to you for a successful school year."

"Thank you, Jake." She touched the gold cross hanging around her neck. "If only all the boys around here were more like you. I'll see you fifth period."

"See what I mean," Jake grinned. "They're all snowed. So…tell me Blake. When is Lindsay Willows moving in next door to you?"

"I thought you said you both moved on, Dude." In his head he finished the statement…I know for a fact she did because she tried to move on with me on Sunday.

"Yeah, but this morning, before school, I saw her with her mom at Starbucks and she was wearing one of those school girl uniforms…the kind with the plaid skirt…just like the chicks in that porn magazine I stole from my cousin." Wiggling his brows Jake cackled, "Suddenly, I wasn't over her anymore."

**Butterfield Academy  
****9:00 a.m. **

After tugging up her knee-highs for what she was sure the tenth time that hour, Lindsay made her way to down the hall to Spanish class.

"Senorita Willows!" Sean greeted his friend. "Buenas dias!"

"It was." Pointing she politely asked, "Could you walk like five feet away from me so no one mistakes us for being together?"

"Um…"

"Like Pronto!" she barked.

"Lindsay!" Celine Campbell called out to her newest friend.

"Hey, Celine!" Lindsay was happy to see a familiar face. At last night's open house she and Celine met at the sports sign up room. After only spending a few minutes with her, Lindsay was certain Celine had serious NBFP…new best friend potential. She was rich, pretty and oozed cool.

"You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend." Celine eyed the gangly boy with the goofy smile standing next to her potential ex-NBF.

"Are you kidding!" Mortified, Lindsay burst out laughing. "He's not my boyfriend! As if! Right! Yeah…my mom is friends with his mom and she's making me be his bodyguard because last year he got pummeled regularly at Desert Mountain Middle School. I think of it as my charity work."

Celine laughed along with her friend. "Okay, good…because I really liked you last night and he'd be a deal breaker."

"I…um…have to get to class." With the last ounce of his ego stomped to death Sean hung his head and tore off down the hall but not fast enough to miss the girls laughing at him. Making a quick detour into maintenance closet he sought refuge in a corner. "Girls think Ryan's a big deal but me…I'm a deal breaker," he sadly said while sliding down the wall.

**University Trauma Center – Family Sleep Room  
****9:05 a.m.**

Jillian quietly opened the door expecting to find three or four sleeping people taking quick naps before returning to their critically ill loved one's side. As luck would have it at the moment, Carrie was the only one in there and when Jillian saw her in the furthest corner lying on a cot, sobbing into a pillow, her heart broke. "Sweetheart…it's Jillian. Would you like a shoulder?" Without waiting for answer she approached.

Staring at the wall, Carrie wiped her tears on her sleeve. "I got scared…I yelled at him…repeatedly…and now…he **blocked **me from visiting. I'm blocked." Her tears pouring she squeaked, "He doesn't want me near him. I went from being the person who comforted him the most to…"

"Oh, Sugar…" Jillian took a seat on the edge of the cot. "He blocked all of us, not just you." Softly she stroked Carrie's auburn hair. "What happened, Honey?"

"He remembered what really happened with Andy. Turns out he didn't break Andy's nose in self-defense. They fought each other because Nicky didn't like what his arrogant brother said about me. It didn't have anything to do with Tawny…it was all about defending me."

"Just like the threatening engagement card said."

"Yes." Drowning in guilt Carrie spoke in between jagged breaths. "I got so scared…and angry. I told him…I said I would call off the wedding and leave him if he couldn't get his temper over protecting me under control. I said I'd leave and never let him find me. Is it any wonder he doesn't want me near him? I screamed at him while he's lying there covered in wires. What kind of person does that to someone recovering from surgery in Intensive Care?"

"A person who loves someone so much she'd do anything to protect him…even threaten to walk away from her own happiness." Reaching out she pulled Carrie close. "Enough self-loathing…it's time for a hug."

She accepted the affection and let loose another round of tears.

Smoothing her palm over Carrie's back Jillian soothed, "Sure, your timing and the locale was off but, your message was solid, Honey…and it was based on love. Nicky knows that, he just needs a little time…I'm sure mostly because he knows he's guilty of the things you said…and because he's a little slow from being weak and drugged."

Glancing up she asked, "You think he'll forgive me?"

"I'd stake the ranch on it, Sweetie." Wiping away the shaky girl's tears Jillian smiled. "Remember the other night I told you the best way to get Nicky to do something in record time was to have his brother laugh in his face and say it would be impossible?"

"Uh huh." The motherly attention mending her heart Carrie snuggled close.

"Well…I think it's safe to say that Andy's status as hero is over and you just came up with a new motivational tool for getting Nicky's ass in gear…fear of losing you if he doesn't straighten up and fly right."

"It's kind of harsh, don't you think?"

"It's tough love…it's very Stokes." Jillian lightly laughed. "Nicky's used it. He responds to it and I think it will work. Because we both know he's headed for disaster if he keeps reacting the way he does. Really…he's leaving us no choice."

"Because we know Mike Rodgers won't yield." Carrie sniffled as her tears slowed. "Nick wasn't like this a few months ago. I think it's everything piling up on him. I really think it will help once he knows Shelly isn't hurting anyone else."

"I've got that taken care of." Jillian tenderly brushed Carrie's damp hair off her cheeks. "Don't you worry."

**University Trauma Center – ICU  
****9:35 a.m.**

"Fear not, nephew!" Brass announced from the door. "Uncle Jimmy's here." Walking in he froze, taken aback by Nick's horrid appearance. "What the hell happened to you? Did you get into a fight or something? Did Carrie do that to you?"

"Stop." Nick shook his head. "You'll ruin my depressed and self-loathing mood."

After pulling over a chair, Jim took a seat. "Did you hear about the group vote? Your brother's out as your best man and everyone thinks I should fill the role. I won't hold you to it though."

"Well…there may not be a wedding if I don't get my shit together."

"That bad, huh?" Jim pointed towards the window. "Nurse Ratchet said I'm the only one you're allowing in here. I'm honored but concerned."

"Y'all are hiding somethin' from me including my fiancée." Nick searched his mentor's eyes. "From what she let slip I'd say it's about Mike."

"Yeah." Reaching into his pocket he produced copies of the engagement card and 'Nigel's'. "You gotta promise to keep your vitals under control because Ratchet warned me if your bells sound she's bouncing me. Not that I'm afraid of dominant women mind you."

"I promise." He held out his hand.

"Okay." Jim placed the copies in Nick's shaky hand. "I personally met with Nigel yesterday. The card isn't from him."

"How is Nigel?" Nick asked with concern as he studied the cards. "Is he making any progress?"

Jim laughed. "Could you do me a favor and hate these nutjobs that cross your path?"

"I hate Mike," he admitted. "I don't hate Nigel because he's confused. Mike's not confused…he's focused." Lowering the cards he rested back against the pillows. "Damn…no wonder she flipped when I told her I fought Andy because he dissed her."

"She opened it Monday morning at her office." Brass took the copies back. "Then she locked it in a drawer."

"Because she couldn't trust me."

"I think there was a little more going on in her head than that, don't you? And hey…she bagged the critical evidence real nice so you should be proud of her for that." Standing up Jim reached into his pocket producing a rubber band. "Believe it or not I went to therapy once upon a time."

"You?"

"I know…you think I'm perfect so it's hard to accept that once upon a time I had a flaw." Taking Nick's tube and wire free left hand, he put a rubber band around his wrist…then he snapped it hard."

"Ow." Nick reflexively grabbed his wrist. "What the…"

"It's a therapy trick." Jim returned to his chair. "Every time you feel your demons coming on you snap the band and say some shit in your head. My mantra was _don'tscrew this up too, Jimmy_, but you need to think of something that pertains to you…or change your name to Jimmy." He tossed a bag of rubber bands on the bedside table. "I bought extra because they tend to break when you have a really bad day."

Nick stared at the beige piece of rubber around his wrist. "Does it work?"

"Considering how perfect I am today, I'd say so. Eventually you won't even have to snap it, you'll just look at it and get the vibe." Leaning close Jim grew serious. "If you let that scumbag Rodgers win I'll be highly disappointed in you, Nicholas and if you end up breaking Carrie's heart I'm pretty sure her father will kill you. Then your mother will go after him and put him behind bars. Then Carrie's heart breaks again and those cute little Blake kids have to visit their grandpa in prison and their aunt in a mental hospital. You see how it works? It's like dominoes and you're the first one. You stay standing everyone else will too. It's pressure, but you're used to that…feed off it…pretend it's the football game of your life."

"Understood."

"Hell, you're a control freak…what more could you ask for?" Jim stood smiling. "**You **are in complete control of situation."

"Thanks, Jim." Nick glanced up. "And I'd be honored if you would be my best man. Thanks for saving my life."

"Your brother had a little to do with that too." Jim leaned on the rail of the bed. "I know you got a lot of history the two of you, and he's a pig…no doubt about that…but the look on his face when he thought he was losing you…"

"Got it." Nick pursed his lips and nodded.

"Okay." Jim patted Nick on the shoulder. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"I have this itch on my ass…" Although he was weak, Nick cracked up. "I was testing your loyalty."

"Hey, Nurse!" Jim yelled toward the door. "Your patient has an itchy ass and needs some assistance." Then he turned to Nick. "You wanna deck me for that?"

"Hell, yeah."

Jim reached over and snapped the band.

Eileen waltzed in tugging on a pair of latex gloves. "Which cheek?"

Holding his gut Jim answered, "Actually, he said it was in **between** the cheeks."

Nick snapped his rubber band. "It's gone now, thanks."

"Well…" Eileen continued over to the bed. "Since I'm here and gloved, I'll check your catheter and change your urine collection bag."

"Thanks for stopping by, Uncle Jimmy." When Nick pointed to the door that's when he saw Catherine. "How the hell did you get back here when no visitors are allowed?"

"Willows…" She flashed her ID. "I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab." Holding up the business envelope with her father's settlement paperwork she announced. "I'm here on official business regarding events that occurred at The Tempest Hotel." Then she winked. "And the security guard liked my breasts so he gave me a pass."

**Dr. Simon's Office  
****10:12 a.m. **

"Hi, Sara." The OB entered the room smiling. "Congratulations." She held up a lab sheet so her patient could see the positive result from her exam chair. "Your HCG level is 692 which is within the normal range of 135 to 1690. The average for twenty days post ovulation is 522."

"So it's probably not twins," Sara blurted.

"Do twins run in either your or your husband's families?"

"Not at all." Sara relaxed in the chair. "It's just…I'm worried enough about my husband and I handling one…the thought of two scares me to death. My friends are having twins and although I'd never tell them this…I have no idea how they're possibly going to deal with two babies, twenty four hours a day."

Snapping on a pair of gloves the doctor laughed. "You're a scientist…you should know all about the powers of adaptation."

"You don't know my friends," she chuckled.

"Our records indicate you had a pap and lab work done when you were in here for your pre-pregnancy appointment in May so we don't have to repeat those. I'll just do a quick check to see how everything feels." Clicking on the controls she angled the exam chair. "In four weeks you'll have your first ultrasound to verify the presence of a sac and a heartbeat."

"My husband will be here for that one." Staring at the ceiling she waited for the doctor to finish.

"Everything checks out." Tugging off her gloves the doctor smiled. "Are you taking those prenatals I prescribed for you in May?"

Sara breathed a sigh of relief. "Haven't missed one." Smiling she added, "My husband reminds me every day just in case I slip up."

**Dales Trail  
****10:21 a.m. **

As he approached Sofia, Grissom yelled, "I've collected everything and need to get my insect samples back to the lab. How much longer will you be?"

Packing up the tent that used to contain the bodies Sofia replied, "If you're done you have your own truck…go."

"No."

"You think I need a babysitter?" Sofia huffed.

"No, I have post traumatic stress disorder from leaving co-workers at the scene…especially **this **scene." Grabbing a pair of gloves from his pocket he added, "And I heard that you're seeing Irving."

Shaking open a bag she chuckled, "That makes me more likable?"

"No…he could snap me in half and on the off chance he likes you…for some reason not obvious to me…I need to make sure nothing happens to you. I can't afford to have him damage me…" Taking hold of the bag she was trying to stuff the tent into Grissom smiled, "…because I have a baby on the way." He checked his watch and wondered if Sara had the results of her blood work yet. "After we pack this tent I'm going to make a quick call."

**University Trauma Center – ICU  
****10:26 a.m.**

"It's your call, Nick." Catherine watched his eyes as he stared at the papers. "But keep something in mind…if you tick off Sam, things could get ugly for you and your family." She chuckled. "I don't mean that in the mobster way…I mean scandal…and it won't be limited to just you and your family, but it will impact mine as well…me, Linds and Warrick." Heaving a sigh she confessed, "I screwed up, Nick. I shouldn't have been there working the case because it's my father's hotel…even worse, I put Warrick's ass on the line."

"Are you trying to emotionally blackmail me, Cath?" Confused and exhausted, Nick glanced up from the documents. "Is that what's going on here?"

"I'm handing you four million dollars on a silver platter and you're accusing me of taking advantage of you?" She laughed. "Sorry…you'll need to explain that to me."

Nick snapped his band.

"What…you didn't get enough pain the other night?"

"It's this…this thing." He tossed down the papers. "I really think I'm too drugged to think about this."

Catherine worked to lower the rail of the bed.

"Nurse Eileen said that's against the rules."

Catherine rolled her eyes and lowered it anyway, taking a seat on the edge. "Settlements like this happen all the time. No one will know the terms, you and Carrie will be set for life, and the whole thing goes away for you, your brother, everyone…like it never happened."

"It doesn't feel right."

"You're not stealing…you deserve to be compensated. You haven't seen the tape…I saw the tape. Trust me, you deserve it, so take it," she urged him. "You were **five minutes** from death, Nick! And you're only here because Jim bought those minutes for you." Taking his hand she squeezed it. "Let's be practical…think of what you can buy with this money…a year's supply of shoes for Carrie…the dream house with the little corral for a pony…a top-notch education for your kids." Smirking she added, "And because I know you, I'll add…you can make a generous donation to your charity."

"Those were the things my brother rubbed in my face for not being able to provide my family on my pathetic County salary." Recalling his brother's harsh words, he snapped his band.

"Excellent!" Catherine grabbed her pen. "Accept the offer so you can shove it in his face." When he glared at her she admitted, "Okay, that's very me…not you. Do it for other reasons I said…particularly the charity one. No wait…do it for this reason..." Gripping him by the shoulders she said, "One day a few years ago I worked my ass off to prove you innocent and keep you from going to jail for Kristy's murder. So, could you please do the same and save my ass here…as I see it, you owe me one."

"Jesus, Cath…" Nick grabbed the pen. "…you're sounding more like your father every day." He tucked the pen and the papers back in the envelope. "I'll let you know my decision after my legal team reviews the documents."

"Good plan…because you should never automatically trust Sam."

"Hey!" Eileen yelled from the doorway. "No visitors on the bed in ICU!"

"She was just leaving," Nick advised. "And Eileen...could you add Carrie to my visitor list, thanks."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****10:37 a.m.**

"Guero! Your guest is here," Lina yelled down the hall. "I really miss having an intercom system because he never hears me," she muttered under her breath as she opened the door. "Good morning, Tawny…you're looking radiant."

"Like** pregnant** radiant!" she panicked. "Because I really can't look pregnant just yet."

"No…" Taking her hand, Lina assured her. "Radiant like you and Greg spent the morning in bed having a fantastic time…talking."

Greg chuckled as he walked through the door. "That we did." Being fifty-percent engaged had made their love-making one hundred percent hotter.

"Okay, good." Tawny rubbed her hand over her belly. "Because my jeans don't fit anymore and I'm really starting to think it's obvious."

"Those would be her size** zero** jeans," Greg informed Lina. "I think most people will just assume she's just fat now, don't you?" He winked.

"Oh yes…" Lina shut the door behind them and put her hands on her size 14 hips. "I'm sure some of those doctors at your parents' country club will hand her their cards offering good deals on gastric bypass surgery." She pointed down the hall. "Ron will see you in the office, Tawny. Do you remember where it is?"

"Yep." She pecked Greg on the cheek. "I'll see you soon."

"Would you like to watch television?"

"Sure." He walked over and took a seat on the couch. "Is Days of Our Lives on?"

When she arrived at the office Tawny knocked, "Hello, Boss."

"Tawny!" Ron stood. "Have a seat. This won't take long."

"I'm really excited," she declared while plopping into the leather guest chair. "I've never had my own health insurance, or vision, or dental. The only perks you get working clubs are free drinks and dry cleaning if a customer stains your costume." She quickly clarified, "By spilling their drink!"

"Don't worry, I knew what you meant." He handed over the envelope. "All your cards are in there so you can take them on your trip. By the time you get back we'll be moved into the new house and you'll help us get settled in the office."

"Thanks again for having faith in me, Mr. Grissom."

"Ron."

"Right…Ron." Grabbing her purse she queried, "I do have one thing I wanted to ask you. Being a man of means I thought you might be able to tell me what's the least I should take for this diamond bracelet when I pawn it?"

"Do you need a salary advance for your trip?"

"No…no." She handed over the bracelet. "I'm pawning it and giving the money to Nick for B-PAC. Since his pig brother gave me the bracelet right before punching Nick's lights out, I thought it had a nice karmic feel."

Eyeing the gem he said, "It's brand new and if you pawn it you'll only get a fraction of its worth."

"Well…I don't really feel like asking the asshole who gave it to me for the receipt."

"I suppose not." Ron grabbed his checkbook. "I had planned on going jewelry shopping this afternoon anyway. I'll make the check out to you and then you can deposit it and write out a check to B-PAC so the karmic significance stays intact."

"Cool!"

"Just keep it between us and Greg though." Tearing off the check for ten grand he instructed, "Tell everyone else you pawned it."

"Wow!" She knew, according to Drew, it was the full price. "Hey, one more thing…because you're so worldly."

"Yes?"

"If you didn't know me, would you believe me if I said I was raised Amish?"

"Uh…" Ron smiled at the bubbly girl. "Did you leave for rumspringa and decide not to go back because you wanted to go to Hollywood and become a star? Is that why you got plastic surgery?"

"Oh my god! Yes!"

"And I bet right before you left for tinsel town you met Greg and fell madly in love." Ron stood and rounded his desk. "You don't happen to speak German, do you?"

"Ja!"

"You've got it made then." Opening the door he asked, "What was your Amish name?"

"Ann Yoder."

"What time did you wake up in the morning on the farm?"

"Four-thirty!" she answered with game-show verve.

"What did your father give you for your fifth birthday?"

"A cloth doll with no facial features dressed in Amish clothing!"

"Very good." Ron chuckled as he walked down the hall. "In my previous life I did a little work as a con man." He tossed his arm around her shoulder. "If you promise not to tell my straight and narrow son, I'll give you a few tips."

**Grissom's Tahoe  
****10:44 a.m. **

Into his cell he asked, "Are you still at the doctor's?"

"No."

"So…"

"My blood work was perfectly within the normal range with no sign of there being twins."

"That's a relief." Gil relaxed in his seat. "Because ever since Greg and Tawny found out they were having twins I wondered how we would possibly…"

"Me too!" she confirmed. "We have our first ultrasound in four weeks. The doctor said we'll be able to see the heartbeat."

"It's really happening."

"Yep."

Staring out at the place where his wife almost died eight weeks ago he soulfully whispered, "I love you, Sara."

"You're still at Dales Trail, aren't you?"

"Yes." He smiled. "To quote you…I'm **centering**." When he heard a loud crunch he asked, "What's that?"

"I'm **snacking**…for two. So, I guess I'll see you back at the lab."

He glanced out at Sofia still packing things up. "Yeah."

"We love you."

Grinning from her use of the word 'we', Gil nodded. "Sara…in my heart I know we're going to be fine."

"Me too."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

It's the start of a new day and this chapter kicks it off…it will prove to be an enlightening one for many by night's end. I hope you enjoyed it.

_Thanks to SouthernCSIlover, Misty-J and Rojaji for reviewing. I'm glad you enjoyed Nigel's scene and are looking forward to the CA trip.._

**Next Chapter:** At the airport, Tawny meets someone from her past…Sara plays sexual therapist to someone new_…_Greg gets some good advice from an unlikely source…Carrie and Nick make some big decisions about their future…Gil packs for an adventure. **Posting:** Friday morning (I'm still trying to get further ahead since KJT will be taking a really cool two week vacation to Florida (that I wish I could take!) starting this Friday. She will be greatly missed while she has a freaking awesome time! But she deserves a vacation for putting up with me and editing this story all this time! Bon Voyage Pal!)

**Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts,  
****Maggs**


	14. Chapter 14

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 14**

**August 31, 2005  
****University Trauma Center – ICU  
****10:45 a.m. **

As Nick lay in bed mindlessly watching The Price Is Right on TV, he noticed a red heart-shaped Mylar balloon on a white ribbon drift into the room. A few seconds later four more floated through the door. "Get in here already!" He couldn't wait to see her and know everything was okay.

When Carrie stepped inside she was holding seven more of the same balloons. "Hi."

"Hi, Honey." He could tell she was drowning in guilt and had cried off all her makeup.

After a deep breath Carrie said, "I'm so sorry for screaming at you and threatening to break our engagement when you're in intensive care recovering from massive blood loss and spleen surgery, with an arterial line, a naso tube and a catheter stuck in your body. That was…um…poor timing and harsh to say the least. I promise I've chilled out. I took a whole Valium this time instead of a half to be sure I stay calm…so if I seem a little loopy, that's why." Taking another step she extended the balloons she was holding. "I found out Mylar balloons are the only thing allowed in the ICU so…I bought twelve…because I'm **really **sorry."

Smiling, Nick said, "I really think I should be the one apologizing but, I'll accept yours if you accept mine. I'm sorry for losing control with my brother…and for the times before when I went a little nuts…like beating the crap out of your brother's neighbor for calling you a bitch. I swear it will change, because the last thing I** ever** want is to lose you, Sweetheart." Proudly, he held up his wrist and showed off the rubber band. "I'm already working on it. I'm in therapy…Brass style."

"I spoke with Jim," she softly replied. "He believes in you. I do too."

Holding out his hand he whispered, "Come here."

Releasing the balloons, Carrie rushed to his side, taking his hand. "Nicky, as soon as you're well, how about we just get the hell out of Dodge? We'll run away together…to an island! We could sell everything and live off our savings." Her tears returning she forced a smile. "And when that runs out we'll live off the land and the fish in the sea."

"Baby…you won't get to wear shoes if we live on the beach and let's be honest…you don't exactly thrive in the great outdoors." Nick brushed away her tears with his thumb as she chuckled. "Since I'm not very mobile I'll have to ask you to make the move here…kiss me, Darlin'."

Leaning over Carrie pressed her mouth to his and although his mouth was parched and his lips cracked, she drew it out, desperate for the closeness.

"I probably should have asked for some of your Chapstick first, huh?" Nick joked as the pain medication and exhaustion began catching up with him again. This was the longest he had remained awake since his stay in the ICU began.

"Mmm…not our best kiss..." Grabbing her tube she coated his lips after the fact. "…but definitely a memorable one."

"Since we're both doped up and stressed out we're going to need my mom, Kendra and Karen to be our legal team…" Grabbing the settlement paperwork he handed it over. "There's a deal on the table…a monetary settlement. No charges against Andy or me in return for dropping the charges against the goons who roughed us up and never saying a word publicly."

"What?" She quickly flipped through the pages. "How did Sam Braun's people get to you in the ICU? And giving you documents and a pen when you're drugged and weak…that's** so** low! Not that it surprises me coming from a guy like him."

"Catherine brought it to me actually."

When her eyes landed on the amount Carrie flipped, "Four million! If we won in court we could get a lot more than that…but we could lose. Ugh…this is really insulting because that man has some of the deepest pockets in town and a reputation as…"

"Take your lawyer hat off for a minute, Sweetheart."

"Sorry." Holding her head she admitted, "This is a little overwhelming…and I'm impaired."

Holding up the pen he said, "If the document is on the up and up and it won't impact my job…I want to take the deal and make it all disappear. I want to protect my family and…I really want to help out Cath because I owe her one. Carrie…the reality is…Sam wouldn't be making the offer if it weren't for his relationship with Catherine. Instead, he'd be looking to bring me and my family down. They'd eat my father alive in the Dallas papers if word got out his sons were busting up a hotel room after the married one of them solicited a girl for prostitution. I don't want that kind of trouble for my parents; they've worked hard all their lives to get where they are and I'll feel horrible if my stupidity and Andy's take that away from them. I also have to think about Melissa and the kids…they need to be protected," Feeling no pain, he smiled wide. "And holy shit! It's four **million **dollars, Baby…that's fifty-seven **years **worth of my salary before taxes. We'll be set for life!"

In her sedated state, Carrie wistfully ran her fingers through her hair. "Do you think that's enough to disappear and live happily ever after? Some place where I can still wear shoes?"

"I don't want to run, Darlin'…and I know you don't either because you'd miss your family, your new friends and your work." Bringing her hand to his lips he brushed a kiss over her ring. "You're just scared."

"Terrified is more like it."

"Me too…but from now on, I'm going to use that to focus myself and not let the bad guy win." He grabbed Jim's bag of rubber bands. "You wanna wear one too? Every time you panic you could snap it and remind yourself that we'll be fine."

After picking one she placed it on her wrist. "Matching rubber bands will have to do until we can get our tattoos."

"And then in five and a half months…we'll have our matching wedding bands." Pointing to the window at the front of the room he said, "Eileen's not looking. Take down the rail and sit on the bed."

"That's against the rules."

"Catherine did it." He tapped the rail. "Come on. I want to snuggle."

"That's the thing…bad girls get away with breaking the rules," she warned while trying to manipulate the stuck rail. "Good girls get busted." She tugged harder. "Come on! What is with this damn rail?" When it violently slammed down she yelled. "Oh! Oh!"

"What happened!" Nick saw her cringing.

"Your bag of urine! It was hanging on the side of the bed and it got ripped from the tube and…" Scrunching her face she squealed, "It's all over my shoes."

"Catherine was on the other side without the urine bag when she did it." His lips crested into a loving smile. "Well, at least it wasn't my stomach bile jar that spilled." The pain meds in full force he pushed the nurse's call button several times. "Houston, we have a problem. Do you copy?"

"Ms. Blake!" Eileen yelled when she arrived and saw the pool of urine surrounding the visitor's feet. "Are you causing trouble again? Out!"

Clutching the settlement papers Carrie tiptoed out of the urine puddle and then removed her shoes. "I'll bring the papers to your legal team, Honey. Then I'll get someone to drive me home for a new pair of shoes."

"Oh, Ms. Blake…" Eileen winked at Nick. "You're really lucky the bag broke away from the tube because you could have ripped the catheter out of your fiancé's penis and permanently damaged it."

Nick laughed when he saw Carrie's horrified reaction. "Hey, at least you'd be marryin' a rich guy!"

**The Townhouse  
****11:14 a.m. **

As Greg showed Ron Grissom's limo driver the row of suitcases in the hall he said, "It's a good thing we're flying because your bags never would have fit in the Z."

"Wasn't it nice of my new boss to loan us his limo to get to the airport?" Tawny jittered with a combination of excitement and nervous tension. "I love my new job and I haven't worked a minute of it yet!"

"Speaking of new jobs," Greg announced with a smile. "I cancelled my interview with the recruiter like you wanted because I'm not going to need a different job. Even though I'm still having nightmares and am tense about going back in the field…I'm going to keep my job and do it better than ever when I get back."

"Really!" Tawny threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so proud of you for not giving up!"

"Thanks, Sweetie."

"I know you're going to kick ass!"

While basking in her approval Greg explained, "When I saw you with Carrie and Sara at the hospital I couldn't imagine taking you away from your 'sisters' and after almost losing Nick, I realized how much my friends mean to me. Vegas is where we belong and I don't want to be a quitter."

"Mr. Sanders, Ms. Cooper…" The chauffeur tipped his hat. "The car is ready when you are."

"Oh my gosh!" Tawny chewed her lip. "I can't believe the moment is here."

"Princess, there's nothing to worry about."

"Actually, there's one other thing I forgot to tell you."

"Uh oh." Greg's hand raced through his hair. "Okay…break it to me."

"I've never flown before and I'm scared to death. I don't know if I can get on the plane."

"Is that all?" Taking her hand he tugged her toward the door. "We'll get you a couple of drinks at the bar before boarding and you'll be fine."

"Greg!" She pointed to her stomach. "Babies!"

"Oops…plan B…the power of positive thinking!" Guiding her out the door he assured her, "Look…flying is safer than driving. The odds of anything happening are greater than winning millions in the lottery."

**University Trauma Center – Cafeteria  
****11:25 a.m. **

"Congratulations, Carrie." Kendra Stokes-Garrison extended her hand. "You just won the Ruptured Spleen Lottery to the tune of four million dollars."

"The documents are sound?" Carrie said with surprise as she shook Nick's eldest sister's hand.

Jillian and Karen both nodded as Kendra, a Contract Law specialist, replied, "I couldn't have prepared better documents myself. But when you're a man of Sam Braun's means and shady character it makes sense to have top-notch lawyers."

Raising her mug of coffee Karen winked at Carrie. "I bet you're glad you didn't leave my brother, huh?"

Kendra elbowed her sister. "I think the wedding budget just got tossed out the window."

"Do you think he'll make her sign a pre-nup now?" Karen volleyed back. "Since he'll be receiving the cash prior to the wedding, he may want to prevent her from having any rights to it."

Kendra tapped her pen. "Hmm…I'd argue and say she's entitled to half because he wouldn't have fought Andy if it weren't for the disparaging remark against Carrie, which means hotel security wouldn't have been called and Nick's spleen never ruptured. The settlement wouldn't exist if it weren't for Carrie."

"Stop it you guys," Carrie giggled. "If I could trade the four mil for none of this happening I would, believe me. I'll be haunted the rest of my life by the feel of Nick's chilly skin and the sight of his eyes rolling back in his head while he lay on the floor of that jail cell dying in my arms. It wasn't worth it. And there's still some risks…he's susceptible to certain infections for months until his spleen is fully recovered and if he strains, the repair could rupture."

"You tell them, Sugar." Jillian nodded approvingly at her future daughter-in-law.

Stirring another packet of artificial sweetener in her coffee Kendra grinned from ear to ear. "Well, I for one can not wait for Andy to find out Nicky's a millionaire because all Mr. Drew Big Business Stokes has done for years is ride Nicky about working for peanuts and livin' in a tiny apartment."

"Me too, Sis." Karen tucked her dark brown bobbed hair behind her ears and relaxed in her chair. "I think it's a lovely dose of karma. Andy loses his house, his job and fifty-five percent of his assets at the same time Nicky gets rich and it's all because Andy needled him into a fight."

"Girls…" Jillian raised her brows and scolded her forty-five and thirty-eight year old daughters. "Let's not forget there are innocent children involved in your brother's mess of a life."

**Hampton Suites Hotel  
****Drew Stokes Room  
****11:33 a.m**.

When his father walked into the room looking pensive, Andy prepared for the worst. "Can I get you something to drink, Dad? I've got some cold bottles of water." He quickly grabbed one.

"No, thank you." He took a seat on the couch.

Twisting open the bottle's top Andy asked, "Are you here to ask me to leave Vegas?"

After a deep breath Bill Stokes revealed, "As unbelievable as this may seem, I'm here to apologize to you."

Andy stopped in mid sip. "Excuse me?"

"Years ago I asked you to toughen up your brother using whatever means necessary." Making eye contact with his boy, the somber man confessed, "When I had a problem with Nick's behavior it should have been me dealing with him. However, at the time I believed affairs of the state of Texas were more pressing than what was going on inside my son's head and delegated my fatherly duty to you. I made some critical errors in judgment and I'm sorry for putting you in that position. I deeply regret encouraging you to continue the practice without ever asking how you were achieving success and it's with a heavy heart that I say…we were very wrong about what your brother really needed at the time."

Stunned, Andy sat on the edge of the bed.

"I was blind to things going on under my own roof." Ashamed, Bill stared at the floor. "I was in tune with the entire state but not my own son. It's hard for me to admit but, as you know, I believe in the power of the truth."

"Yes, Sir." Andy nodded. "It is a quality I've always admired and have never been able to emulate."

"Well…" Recalling his wife's words Bill remorsefully said, "I sit before you humbled, Andrew."

"Then you're in good company because humbled is exactly what I feel after recent events." He huffed out a breath. "As far as Nicky is concerned…you may have given the order back then, but I'm the one who carried out the actions. The guilt is ours to share."

"Your brother has asked to see you." Bill glanced at his watch. "He should be moved out of the ICU and into a regular room by five o'clock this evening. We'll go together and apologize to him, then I'll leave the two of you alone to work things out as Nick has requested…brother to brother."

**Desert Mountain Middle School  
****12:00 p.m. **

"Hey, Blake!" Dan Reno, the largest eighth-grade boy in the school, called out as he crossed the cafeteria. "I haven't seen your brainiac brother, Sean yet. Did the geek freak get skipped to college?"

Sitting at a table with several friends, Ryan looked up from his tray of cafeteria spaghetti and said, "He's not coming here this year."

Dan and his pals Brian and Ike laughed. "Is your mommy home schooling him because she's afraid he'll get picked on again?"

His irritation rising, Ryan droned, "No, he's going to a different school because he's too smart to go here."

"Is it an all-girls school?" Ike asked while high-fiving his buddies. "Or is he at a boarding school for fags so he can get some action?"

Jumping to his feet Ryan shoved Ike. "Stop talkin' shit about my brother."

"Ooooh…is that supposed to scare me?" Ike shoved back harder sending Ryan crashing into the lunch table. "Maybe you should go to fag school with your brother…oh wait, you can't because you're so stupid you can't even read good."

"I can't read **well**, asshole!" A second later Ryan's hand was stinging from connecting with Ike's jaw. "Now maybe you'll stay out of my…" A punch to his gut left him gasping for air.

"No…maybe you'll regret getting in my face." Laughing he reared his fist again.

"Fight!" Staci Rhodes shouted as she pointed to the two boys wrestling on the cafeteria floor. "Ewww there's blood!"

**McCarran Airport  
****12:31 p.m. **

When the circulation to Greg's left hand was completely cut off from Tawny's vice grip, he knew it was time for Plan M…M for Myers. Handing his cell phone to the white-knuckle flier Greg smiled. "Here you go, Sweetie."

"Hi, Dr. Myers," she greeted in a jittery voice while watching a 757 pulling up to a gate. "I can't do it…I can't get on the plane. I keep seeing it explode into a fiery ball or…or...nosedive into a mountain or…or…"

"Take three cleansing breaths for me, Tawny."

"Okay." Clutching the phone she stepped away from the crowd.

Greg watched her inhale and exhale deeply, so deeply that her buxom breasts, which were squeezed into a pale pink chemise, raised and lowered dramatically. "Hey, Pal!" He yelled at a silver-haired senior who had been moping, but now grinned in the direction of Tawny's chest. "How about taking your eyes off her breasts and reading that magazine you're holding?" Cringing, he added, "She's twenty-two and you're like old enough to be her grandfather."

The man chuckled, "I recognize her from Tweeters…she was a dancer there and I got a lap dance from her every Thursday night. Before she worked there I used to visit her at Club Paradise. God, I've missed my Golden Bird…she stirred feelings that I hadn't experienced since my dear wife Roberta passed. She made me feel thirty again!" Getting misty, he took another long look. "How much is a private party with her setting you back, Kid?"

"I'm not **partying** with her!" Greg pointed at Tawny while trying to purge the visual of her sitting on the lecherous man's lap. "I'm **marrying** her! She's having my babies!"

The passengers in the waiting area started clapping and one guy, who had a little too much to drink in the airport bar earlier, slurred, "Dude…way to go. Think she'll want to practice breastfeeding with you?"

Tawny whirled around and saw Greg gripping his hair. "Uh…I think Greg needs you now, Doctor Myers. Thanks for your help. Here he is." She handed over the phone and then saw her old customer. "Oh my gosh…Mr. Dugan?" He was the sweetest of her old lonely man clientele at Tweeters.

"Glitter! Aren't you a sight for lonely eyes!" He pulled out his wallet. "I know we're in public, but I'll give you fifty bucks if you'll just sit next to me and put your hand on my thigh."

"Aww…sorry, Handsome." She smiled sweetly. "I'm retired now." Walking over she took a seat next to him. "But I'll sit next to you and chat for free. How's your cat? Lacey, right?"

"The poor thing…her arthritis is acting up real bad again." Sadly he admitted, "I'm afraid I'm going to lose her soon and it's hard because she was Roberta's."

Into the phone Greg heatedly whispered, "Sometimes it just freaks me out. I mean, what's going to happen when we have the babies with us and some pig recognizes her…I don't want my kids exposed to this squicky pig vibe. It's so uncomfortable because I can't help but visualize…"

"Greg…" Dr. Myers counseled. "Let's not make generalizations. Not **all** of her customers were pigs. A lot of them paid for a dance because they craved human touch and couldn't get it any other way. You know a little about that yourself, right? We've spoken of your trip to The Bunnyranch and how you spent a lot of money **not **to have raunchy sex, but to have a woman pretend to be your affectionate girlfriend and make love with her. You didn't pay for those services because you were a pig, you did it because you were craving something normal but you couldn't get it for free at the time."

Massaging his forehead he droned, "Thanks for bringing up that humiliation when I'm vulnerable."

"You know I'm making a point." The doctor advised, "When these awkward situations arise just think of the man as a lonely, desperate individual and Tawny as a humanitarian. Imagine that she was the only bright spot in his depressing life, maybe the only thing getting him through a tough night. Then remember that she's going to be your bright spot everyday for the rest of your life."

Watching Tawny converse with the old man Greg focused on Dr. Myers words. "He does look real happy talking to her."

"Because she's attentive and he's happy to have someone care…even if it's only an illusion."

"Okay…what you said to do…it's working." He released a deep breath. "I'm de-squickified."

"Excellent."

Moving his gaze to the planes outside the large window Greg asked, "Is she going to get on the plane to California?"

"I can't tell you what we discussed."

"Right." His shoulders slumped.

A few seconds later the doctor chuckled. "Hey, Greg…where's that diamond ring you're planning on giving her…the one that she's told you that she desperately wants more than anything?"

"In California." His lips spread into a smile. "So, I guess she'll be boarding the plane. Thanks, Doc."

"At some point after you propose, call me and let me know if she says yes."

"If!"

**Desert Mountain Middle School  
****12:43 p.m. **

The school principal moved his gaze from Ryan to Wendy Blake. "If he has another incident after returning from his suspension he'll be at risk for expulsion."

Devastated by her son's behavior Wendy quietly acknowledged the man. "I understand, Mr. Davis and I assure you we'll be taking this very seriously. Unfortunately, my husband is in a job interview and unreachable or he'd be here as well." Looking over at her son she prodded, "Do you have anything to say?"

"I'm really sorry I punched Dan," Ryan admitted as he struggled not to cry. "Even though he said really bad stuff about my brother and me I shouldn't have hit him because, like you taught us…violence isn't the answer, Sir. I promise when I come back I won't ever do it again."

Standing up, the principal said, "I will leave it up to Coach Gooden to decide whether or not you're still allowed to play on the football team."

The threat of being cut from the team was too much and Ryan's tears flowed. "Please Principal Davis…anything but that. I'll…I'll clean the whole school. I'm serious. I'll do anything!"

"It's not just up to the school, Ryan," Wendy snipped. "Your father and I will be discussing whether or not you should be allowed to play." Wendy took her son by the arm and tugged him to his feet. "Come on…let's get home."

**Crime Lab  
****1:04 p.m. **

Stepping into Evidence Room C, Gil tapped on his watch. "Sara…I'm off to my appointment."

Leaving Jas to finish laying out the bloody bed sheet they were processing, Sara walked over to her husband. "Call me as soon as you're done consulting with the security firm. I want to know how long it will be before we can return home."

"I will." He winked in lieu of more obvious affection before hustling down the hall.

When Sara returned to the table Jas asked, "Are you getting an alarm system installed because of the card?"

Re-gloving she sighed, "Yeah…even though I'm more convinced than ever that it's unnecessary. Rodgers is going for psychological, not physical damage. But my husband won't chill until the house rivals Fort Knox, so…"

"I think it's sweet." Inspecting a blue fiber she smiled. "He loves you so he's taking care of you…and his baby."

"Speaking of sweet." Sara elbowed her co-worker. "I couldn't help but notice the vibe between you and Pete at the morning meeting."

"I guess we haven't been very good at hiding it, huh?" Feeling her face flush she said, "I couldn't believe Sofia tossed out those sexual innuendos."

"Yeah, it must be really awkward for you to hear someone insinuate you're with a guy you haven't been with." A few seconds later she laughed. "You must stink at poker, Jas, because you look guilty as charged."

"Ugh!" Busted, she dropped her head.

"You're surrounded by intuitive and observant CSIs, there's no way you're going to hide your relationship if you don't get better at hiding your emotions."

"I can't help it. I'm so head over heels. It's so…" After glancing over her shoulder she excitedly whispered, "…awesome!" The admission opened the flood gates of school-girl worthy giddiness. "Can you keep a secret, Sara? Because I really need to talk to another woman and my conservative Hindu sisters are out. My family can't know about Pete, no way, no how. So can you help me?" She didn't wait for an answer. "See, the thing is…I didn't date much in college…okay…not at all." She covered her blush with her hands. "Pete's my first…"

"Relationship?" Sara couldn't help but get caught up in her Jas's happiness.

"No, he's my first everything…first date, first kiss, first boyfriend and um…he would be my first…um…" Lowering her voice to the faintest whisper she confessed, "…lover. I've never…I mean we've fooled around. I've even spent the night but we haven't…"

"Whoa." Sara stared at the young woman. "You're twenty-four and you lived away at college…that's an accomplishment."

"I didn't drink at college and I was a **very **late bloomer," she explained. "I'm the Indian version of the Greek girl in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Except my family doesn't roast lamb on the front lawn because we're vegetarians."

"So, what do you want to ask me?"

"I have most everything covered. I mean the biology of it is a no brainer for me, a science geek. I've read books…ones with pictures and I've watched lots of 'Cinemax after Dark' to get a feel for it all…" Her voice drifted. "…although some of that looked a little…well…tricky."

Sara covered her mouth to squelch her chuckle.

"My question is…do I tell Pete I've never made love **or,** do I try to fake it?"

Without hesitation Sara advised, "You tell him. You** definitely** tell him."

"Really?" Jas moved closer. "But won't he think something's wrong with me?"

"Uh, no…" She chuckled lightly. "He'll be thinking…'holy shit, I'm making love to a virgin' and be incredibly turned on! He'll think it's the hottest night of his life. So, even if you're totally nervous and the sex is blah…he won't notice and he'll be more than happy to teach you everything you need to know going forward." Leaning against the table Sara said, "If you try to fake it and you stink, he'll be thinking…'holy shit, this is worst sex I ever had. Too bad, because I was really into her.' Plus, if the two of you have fooled around and spent the night together without having sex…I'm thinking he's already assuming you're pretty inexperienced because Pete's hot and if you were sexually active, you would have been all over that opportunity."

"Sara!"

"Hey…" Placing her ruler on the bloody sheet Sara laughed, "…I'm just giving it to you straight up, girlfriend."

"Do you think he's been with a lot of women?"

Once again Sara tried not to laugh. "Hmm…my guess is that he falls somewhere in between Nick 'Five Chicks a Week' Stokes and Greg 'Five Chicks in my Lifetime' Sanders."

**Southwest Airlines  
****Flight 2103  
****1:42 p.m**

As Greg sat by the window, sipping from his plastic cup of Cola, he listened intently to the conversation going on between Tawny, who occupied the middle seat, and her former customer, Mr. Dugan, who was to her right in the aisle seat.

"Marriage is wonderful if done right, my Dear." Mr. Dugan lifted his plastic tumbler of wine and polished it off. "Roberta and I were married for forty four fantastic years, but it wasn't easy." Setting down the cup he informed the girl, "It takes work to make a marriage last the tests of time." Leaning over he pointed at Greg. "Did you hear that, sonny? You better do your best because Glitter…I mean Tawny…is special."

"Yes, Sir." Greg raised his glass of soda at the sixty eight year old man who used to pay topless Tawny to snuggle him and discuss his arthritic cat. To call the situation surreal he felt would be an understatement. "I intend to work very hard at it. I have good role models. My parents have been married for decades."

Tawny smiled at the remark and then informed Mr. Dugan, "Back on the farm, my Amish parents were very happily married. Marriage and family are very important to my people and even though I've left the Amish community, I still believe in many of their ways."

Mr. Dugan grinned at the effervescent girl. "Now that you've told me about growing up Amish it's so easy to picture you with your hair up in a bun and wearing one of those cute little white hats."

Excited that someone was easily buying her Amish fib, Tawny elbowed Greg.

Slipping his arm around Tawny, Greg pecked her cheek. "So, Mr. Dugan…what's the most important factor in a successful marriage?"

"Have you ever read the book Tuesdays with Morrie?" he replied. When the young people both shook their heads he continued, "It's a book highlighting the wisdom of a seventy-eight year old man dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease. In the book, Morrie is asked about marriage and he says the usual, respect, communication and compromise but, then he says something else…he says marriage is about values and having a common set of them is critical and the one value the couple must share in order to stay together is 'the belief in the importance of marriage'."

"A belief in the importance of marriage," Tawny repeated.

"That's what's wrong today." Mr. Dugan shook his head thinking of the startling divorce rate. "Too often, people see marriage as something to do and something to undo on a whim. Especially in Vegas where you can go from first date to Mr. and Mrs. Truly Unprepared to Live Together Forever in a couple of hours. In order to get through the rough times, you have to truly believe that quitting isn't the automatic option. Only then will you try to work at it."

Greg snuggled Tawny a little closer. "I believe marrying Tawny and raising our children together will be the most important thing I ever do."

"Really, Greg? But what if you do big things?" With glassy eyes she gazed into his. "Like solving the crime of the century? Or finding a new DNA technology?"

"Inconsequential in comparison to being a great husband and father." After exchanging smiles he sealed the affirmation with a tender kiss.

**University Trauma Center – ICU  
****1:56 p.m. **

"A kiss for luck!" Carrie dove in to smooch Nick's chap-sticked lips.

"Okay, Ms. Blake…" Eileen unfurled a white cotton towel. "…from what I've heard about your squeamish stomach, you don't want to be here for this because we're talking seriously slimy and highly unpleasant to watch."

"Hell, I don't want to be here for this," Nick interjected as he obsessed over the thought of Eileen slowly snaking out the naso tube full of bile from the pit of his stomach and out through his nose.

"I can make it," Carrie announced in a Valium haze. "I've decided to do a little desensitization therapy to get over my ridiculous intolerance for all things gross. Nick shouldn't have to endure this procedure without his future wife's support. I want to be here for my man, like I know he'd be here for me. Besides, now that I didn't rip off my future husband's penis while illegally lowering the bed rail…I, God willing, will have a baby in eighteen months. I need to have a** much **stronger stomach before I have a pooping, puking infant to nurture. So, go ahead, Nurse Eileen…let's see some slime!"

"Hold up!" Nick held his hand out blocking the nurse. "You're having a baby in **eighteen** months? Who with, Darlin'? **Our **plan was to start trying on our one year anniversary. We have five months until the wedding…five, plus twelve, plus nine…assuming it happens on the first try because I'm a stud, that's…um…" He scratched his head and tried to force his drugged addled mind to do the math. "Help me out here, Eileen."

"Twenty-six months minimum."

"Thank you." He returned to staring at Carrie. "**Twenty-six** months minimum."

"Oh yeah…" Carrie slapped her forehead. "I forgot to tell you…when I was scared you were dying I decided that we should really start our family a little sooner. Five months, plus four months, knowing it will happen on the first try because you reek of virility, Baby…" She winked. "…plus nine months gestation is eighteen months."

"You only want to wait **four months** after we get married to start trying?" He looked to Eileen. "That's too short, don't you think?"

"Can't help ya." Shrugging she answered, "I've been divorced twice and only have a cat."

"Aww…" Carrie asked the twice 'unlucky in love' nurse. "What's your cat's name?" Then she added, "I think cats are cute but I'm allergic and I couldn't handle the hair all over my…"

"Tranquilizer Girl!" Nick called out before chuckling. "Could we focus? I just found out that you radically changed our plan for the future and with all due respect to Eileen's cat…I'm a little freaked about only being married four months before getting you pregnant."

Giggling, she covered her mouth. "You sounded so studly masculine when you said 'getting you pregnant' in that husky ventilator-abraded voice of yours. Wow…" She felt her temperature rising. "I can totally visualize us in our bedroom…the candles lit…in missionary style for greatest odds...and you taking your job as The Impregnator soooo seriously because we both know you have a very strong work ethic, Nicky…and a strong…"

"Ahem." Eileen waved her hand in front of the daydreamer. "Permit me to kill the mood." Grabbing the naso tube she turned to Nick, "On the count of three…one...two…**three**."

When the last of the seemingly endless tubing covered in slime was out and Nick was gulping and rubbing his nose, Carrie stood frozen.

"Are you okay, Ms. Blake?" Eileen asked as she wrapped up the tubing for disposal.

"Sweetheart?" Nick prompted while celebrating his tube-free nose and the eventual resumption of natural gas elimination. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," she finally answered while frantically choking back the urge to purge. "I'm great."

"And now for the catheter." With a fresh pair of gloves Eileen returned to the bed and flipped back the sheet exposing Nick's naked body. "Mr. Stokes, you may feel a little something when the deflated balloon passes through. Take a deep breath in for me."

While doing as told he silently laughed at the fact he was thrilled to have a virtual stranger grabbing hold of his johnson and yanking out a foreign object.

"And push the breath out." When he did, she tugged.

"Damn!" he yelled as he gripped the railings and breathed through the moment.

Having watched it all, including the after-ooze, Carrie felt the room start to spin. "I'm fine. Yep! Fine!"

Walking around the bed with a bucket, Eileen said, "On the count of three, Ms. Blake…one…two…"

Nick smiled proudly while watching Carrie toss her cookies. "You did great, Baby. The old Carrie would have hurled at the mention of the words 'seriously slimy and highly unpleasant'. Thanks for trying, and for not leaving my side." And when Carrie was finally through purging, and Eileen left the dispose of the bucket, Nick cheerily told his drained fiancée, "Eighteen months from now will be just fine with me, Sweetheart."

**The Grissoms  
2****:10 p.m. **

"How long will it take to install what I've selected?" Gil asked the security advisor as he accompanied him to the front door.

The burly ex-bodyguard turned business man replied, "Because the house isn't pre-wired…three days."

Gil nodded. "That's better than I expected."

"We can start after the holiday weekend… eight a.m. Tuesday" He extended his hand. "Don't worry, Dr. Grissom, your wife and child will be safe here once we're through."

"Thank you." He returned the shake. "I'll see you Tuesday morning."

After shutting the door, Gil blew out a breath and walked down the hall toward the kitchen. Glancing into the empty living room he recalled the day he made Sara feel unsafe in her own home and remembered his vow to her that it would be the last time she'd experience the awful feeling.

Grabbing the house phone he punched in Sara's speed dial code.

"And we'll be living with your dad until…" she greeted.

"A week from Friday." He looked at the calendar hanging on the fridge. "So we'll be moving into the mini-mansion with him this weekend."

"We know we'll be safe there…it has a panic room. All the best ex-mobster places do."

"Except ours because it was built before the technology." He opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. "Is there anything you need from the house?"

A light giggle wafted through the phone. "Hold on while I find a secure location."

"I'm intrigued." He grabbed an apple too.

"Since it's going to be another ten nights, I need…well, I hope I do anyway…for lack of a better term…my romance supplies."

"Ah." Gil laughed into the receiver. "You expect me to have sex under my dad's roof?"

"You're forty-nine, not sixteen…and I'm pregnant and overly hormonal. Plus we've been stressed. I need to release a little tension."

"If you entice me enough I bet I'll get over my inhibition." Like Adam, he took a bite of the juicy apple and dreamed of sinning.

"Then don't forget the La Perla, Baby," she urged in her sexiest rasp. "And my tube of…"

"You need to stop talking now." With his pulse, among other things, on the rise, he took another chunk out of the Biblically forbidden fruit. "I know what to pack."

**Burbank Airport  
****Gate 17  
****2:31 p.m. **

"Good luck, Tawny," Mr. Dugan warmly said as he waved goodbye at the gate. "I only have my carry-on so I won't be heading to baggage claim. Nice meeting you, Greg. Take good care of her."

Feeling sorry for the sweet and lonely old man, Tawny threw her arms around him and pecked his cheek. "Have fun at your school reunion. "Maybe you'll rekindle an old flame."

Hugging her tight Mr. Dugan grinned. "I went to a private all-boys school."

"Oh." She backed away smiling. "Maybe there will be a nice waitress at the dinner then. Bye."

"Take care, Mr. Dugan." Greg nodded, amazed that he felt appreciation for the advice given to him by a man who had visited his fiancée's breasts weekly. "It was nice meeting you."

Once they were alone, Greg surprised Tawny by wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off the ground. "Welcome to California, Princess! A place where dreams really do come true."

Giggling with delight she enjoyed the spin and then wildly kissed Greg's head, face and finally, when she was back on her feet, his lips. "I love you so much."

The next kiss quickly spun out of control. "We're in the middle of the airport, Sweetie," he whispered while glancing around.

"So…people always get carried away at the airport in movies," she sweetly replied. "Mmmm…I'm really nervous again."

"Why? You're finally in the same state as your ring," he reminded her before bursting into a smile.

Playfully shoving him she gave her answer. "Because it's still locked in your mommy's drawer that's why."

"Okay, as much as I'd like to reserve all of my plan's spontaneity…in the interest of you enjoying the trip I'll say the ring will appear no earlier than Saturday morning but no later than Monday morning."

"Ooh!" She jumped in place. "That's cruel…yet good news!"

"Come on." Taking her hand he walked her to the escalator. "My mom is meeting us since your bags won't fit in my Z. She'll drive you home and I'll meet you there. It will give you time to fill her in on your Amish heritage so she can play along."

"Fibbing to strangers is one thing, but I really think we should tell your dad the truth."

"Really?"

"Why do you look shocked? Do you think he'll look down on me?"

"Uh…" Taking both her hands when they reached the ground floor he answered honestly. "I don't think so, but I can't say for sure."

"For once I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt, Greg."

"The story really isn't that much of a leap from the truth, Tawny." Pulling her into a corner he whispered, "You're of German heritage…you grew up in a simple farm town and…your mother did shun you. The Amish thing…it's a nice twist on a sad story and it's harmless because the fib doesn't hurt anyone. I promise when I tell my dad about the babies, I'll explain what really happened and tell him why we wanted to hide the truth from nosey strangers…especially Becca." After breathing deeply he explained, "Truthfully, he'll be so pissed off at me for getting you twice pregnant, the Amish thing will seem **really** insignificant."

"Greg…" she scolded his negativity with her glare.

"You didn't let me finish." He glared back. "I believe my father will think my coming clean about what happened will count for something, as will as my determination to be a responsible and loving husband and father. But don't you worry…by the time I speak with him you'll have that ring on your finger and that's where it's staying no matter what he says. But, I'm really hoping my dad will work through it with me and be supportive in the end."

"Do you remember all the great lawyer-convincing stuff Jillian told you to say?"

"I took copious notes."

"Okay."

Kissing her hand he reminded her, "I'm not golfing with my dad until Sunday afternoon so we need to squeeze in all the fun we can possibly have before then." With her hand tightly in his they started walking.

"Oh!" Her grin lit up the room. "You slipped up, Mr. Genius Phi Beta Kappa."

"Huh?"

"You said I'll have already have the ring on my finger when you speak with your dad, which you're doing **Sunday afternoon**."

"Doh!" He realized he just cut his timeframe hint in half.

Waving her barren left hand she teased, "So now I know it's not before Saturday morning, but by Sunday afternoon."

Just then a geeky teenage boy wearing a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt darted over to Tawny. "Excuse me, may I have your autograph!" He thrust his book forward.

Greg pretended to be star struck, "Wow! Who is she, Dude?"

"I don't know but she's the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen…and she has really cool sunglasses on her head…and this is California so she must be somebody." Spitting with excitement he explained, "I have a goal…one hundred celebrity autographs because my buddy, Harley only got fifty when he vacationed here."

Taking the pen and book Tawny asked, "What's your name, Handsome?"

"Rusty."

Quickly she jotted a message then returned the items. "Have fun in California, Rusty." With her hand she blew a kiss and started walking away with Greg.

"Bye!" the boy yelled before glancing down at his first autograph.

* * *

**To my good pal, Rusty…**

**Welcome to California!  
A place where dreams really do come true.**

_**Tawny Sanders …**_

**Who will be starring in a major romance for the rest of her life!**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Ryan went from fighting WITH his brother to fighting FOR his brother. An improvement but not exactly what Wendy wanted. The boys are reunited in the next chapter and you'll see Sean's reaction to the news.

Greg just can't catch a break LOL…I'm sure he'll have an easier time now that he's in California with his equally manic woman…and his parents. Too bad he couldn't stuff Dr. Myers in a suitcase. It's a necessary journey for many reasons both for Greg and the story and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am writing it.

Carrie and Nick are both sporting rubber bands…their bond is stronger than ever…now if only Carrie's stomach were LOL. In the next chapter she'll try to help him with a new 'challenge' in the hospital. And just because they're millionaires, don't look for them to change drastically and that money won't all be spent on shoes LOL

Gil and Sara were light in this chapter but will start moving forward in 16. They have some fluff coming up starting in 16 and then they'll be working a casefile together in the near future that really gets to Sara.

Thanks for the reviews Misty J, Sara Sidle 87 and CSIfan! I'm glad you'reenjoying the story and thanks for the details.

**Next chapter:** Nick has several different visitors all with something important to say, Lindsay gets a reality check, Tawny is off to a stellar start in California, Gil and Sara make some plans, Ryan and Sean get some coaching… there's a little Harry Potter…a gift for a special lady…a heartfelt apology…and a little'lovin' on the sly. **Posting:** Sunday night.

**Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts,**

**Maggs**


	15. Chapter 15

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 15**

**August 31, 2005  
****University Medical Center  
****2:47 p.m. **

As the hospital transport personnel were wheeling Nick's bed into room 310 on the surgical patient floor, Carrie and Jillian trailed several feet behind.

"It feels much less scary here than in the ICU," Jillian remarked.

"And he won't have a pit bull disguised as a nurse guarding his door," Carrie rejoiced. "Now I'll be able to sneak a snuggle with my fiancé."

"That's what you think." The strapping man wearing navy scrubs greeted the women. "I'm Hal." He extended his hand. "I'll be your fiancé's nurse until six a.m."

"Whoa…do you have a brother named Irving by any chance?" Carrie asked in a Valium fog. "You're the same size. Except you have great hair, a fabulous tan and no tattoos."

"Nope, I'm an only child and actually, I do have a tattoo…" Chuckling he left her side. "…but I don't think your fiancé would appreciate me showing it to you though, if you catch my drift."

"Wow." Jillian was fixated on the handsome man's broad shoulders as he stepped into her son's room. "Why the hell didn't they have nurses who looked like him when I was in the hospital giving birth all those times? I always got stuck with bossy women who were hard on the eyes."

"Oh man." Carrie covered her mouth with her hand. "Nicky is going to hate having that massive sexy guy pawing him…even if he's a professional nurse. Thankfully, he can wear a hospital gown now that he's not in ICU."

Snapping out of her adolescent fantasy over the hunky man, Jillian finally heard what Carrie was saying. "Oh, you're right…Nicky's gonna squirm. This should be fun."

Giggling with her future mother-in-law, Carrie shared an anecdote. "One time we went out to dinner and when our table wasn't ready, I went to the restroom while Nick waited for me in the lounge. When I returned, this guy was totally putting the moves on him and as soon as Nick saw me he pulled me close and planted a big wet one on my lips."

Tossing her arm around Carrie Jillian snickered, "Thank goodness Eileen took his catheter out instead of Hal."

"Mr. Stokes…" The affable nurse grabbed his patient's chart. "I'm Hal Connors. I'll be your nurse until six a.m."

Glancing up at the muscle-bound man with the Hollywood smile, Nick sought clarification. "My **nurse**?"

Carrie hid behind Jillian so she could laugh freely.

"First things first." Hal returned the chart. "Let's get you on your feet and moving." He lowered the rail. "You had your catheter removed an hour ago. Have you felt the urge to urinate yet?"

"Uh…" Nick looked around for Carrie.

After checking the fluid bags Hal remarked, "Your IV is full blast so need you to go for me within the next couple of hours or I'll have to re-catheter you."

"Oh!" Carrie popped out from behind Jillian. "Think about water, Sweetie. Lots of cold, gushing ice water…and waterfalls…and babbling brooks."

Upon lowering the rail Hal instructed, "I'll help you swing your feet over the side and let you sit for a minute. After that, it's on your feet and baby steps to the john."

"Thanks but…my fiancée can help me," Nick announced while pointing to Carrie.

"No offense, ma'am," Hal laughed in Carrie's direction. "But I don't think you're gonna be able to catch him if he's crashing to the floor, do you? At least not before he undoes all the work the surgeon did." When she shook her head Hal reminded his patient, "You haven't been on your feet since Monday night, Mr. Stokes, so we're not taking chances."

When the nurse pulled back the sheet and took his arm, Nick gave a nervous laugh. "Carrie, are you sure you tied up this gown tight?"

Hal glanced over at the women chuckling. "Do you think he'd relax more if he knew I was married with two kids?"

Carrie and Jillian nodded in between laughs.

"Sorry," Nick offered as he gripped the guy's arm and slowly worked his feet over the edge. "I hope I didn't offend you. It's just…"

"Don't worry. I get it all the time," Hal assured him. "No one has a problem with male doctors, but male nurses freak them out."

"Yeah, and no offense but…" Nick took a moment to breathe through the pain of swinging his feet around. "I still don't want to pee while you're holding me, Pal."

**Burbank Airport – Baggage Claim  
****3:01 p.m. **

While waiting for Bev to arrive, Tawny scanned the area for a restroom. "I'll be right back, Sweetie," she told Greg. "I want to freshen up before I see your mom."

Grabbing her hand Greg warned, "You're not in Kansas anymore, Princess. Watch out for weirdos."

"Aww…I love it when you get protective." Grinning, she stole a kiss before trotting off.

With his eyes tracking his fiancée, Greg didn't notice his mother's arrival.

"Gregory Hojem Sanders…who gave you the extreme makeover?" Bev greeted her perfectly tanned and normally coiffed son who was wearing trendy, not silly, clothing. "And where's the girl who will be receiving the rock locked in my dresser drawer?"

"Mom!" He threw his arms around her. "So you like my new look?"

"I do. You're a regular Hollywood heartthrob my Dear." She kissed his cheek. "Tawny is doing an excellent job as your keeper."

"She's of course in the bathroom." Greg chuckled. "Do you think Dad will get suspicious when he notices Tawny peeing every ten minutes?"

"Hmm…speaking of suspicious." Bev backed away with raised brows. "Since you refused to tell me over the phone, I demand you tell me how your car came to be at the airport while you were in Vegas."

"Okay…okay." Slumping his shoulders he confessed, "Becca e-mailed me saying she wanted to give things a go and both Tawny and my therapist…"

"You're in therapy?" Bev's eyes opened wide.

"You found that more shocking than Becca wanting to hook up with me?" he chuckled. "I have to go to therapy because of what happened at work…with Tucker." Actually, it was mandated because he broke Hodges's nose but telling her that story was out of the question but he was really going for entirely different reasons. "I like therapy this time. I'm going to Dr. Myers just like Tawny."

"Bev!" Tawny rushed over and assaulted her future mother-in-law with a bear hug. "Can you believe I'm here! I can't believe I'm here! I'm so excited to be here! I missed you."

With delight in his eyes Greg watched both his mom and Tawny melt from the mutual affection.

When the hug ended Bev said, "Greg was just explaining why his car was parked at the airport while he was in Vegas."

"Oh that." Tawny cuddled up to her half-fiancé. "When I found out Becca had the hots for him I told Greg to come here and hook up with her to see if she was his true love instead of me."

Bev shook her head while looking at the giddy couple. "I mean this in all seriousness, Gregory. If you had sex with Becca to determine if you should get married to Tawny, you get your ass on the next plane to Vegas because I won't be able to look at you, and if it was unprotected sex I will kill you right here in…"

"Mom!" Holding up his hand he stopped her tirade. "I promise there was no sex…just closure."

"For **you **apparently, but not for Becca." In her head, Bev replayed the words she heard from Becca the other day at the club. "She can't wait to see you, Greg."

"And I **swear** I don't know how that's possible," he assured both women as they gaped at him. "After she admitted to leading me on for years I called her a selfish bitch and that was only the beginning. Trust me…she was so freaked out she even asked me to calm down because she had never seen me angry and I was scaring her. You know…I was always so sweet and nice, it threw her that I could curse her out and tell her to go to hell."

"What! You didn't tell me she was scared because you were so cold," Tawny shrilled. "Of course she wants you **now**! **Now** you're a bad boy! Stupid women always want the asshole who treats them like shit. Trust me on this one because I was a stupid woman for years." She stomped her foot. "Now she'll be panting and chasing you!"

"Women are insane!" Greg yelled loud enough for many surrounding him to hear. "So while I was a super nice guy for years, just dying to love and spoil a woman, I couldn't get a date, but ten minutes of treating one like dirt and I'm suddenly irresistible?"

"Yes!" Tawny replied along with a few other women in the crowd.

"I'll be your date, Baby." A gorgeous man in an Armani suit draped his arm around Greg's shoulders. "You'll find life much less complicated once you eliminate estrogen from it."

"Yeah." Greg sighed, "I tried that once but it didn't do anything for me so…"

"I knew it!" Bev pointed her finger at her son. "You** were** gay."

The stranger laughed at the concept of temporary gay-ness. "Believe me, if he had it in him, he wouldn't be putting up with chicks."

**Butterfield Academy  
****3:32 p.m. **

As Sean ambled across campus to meet his mom at the arranged pick-up place, he noticed girl after girl not noticing him. They never seemed to notice him except when they needed a good laugh.

"Hi, Sean," Catherine warmly greeted the forlorn lad. "Rough first day?"

"Oh…hello, Ms. Willows." Sean forced a smile at the mother of one of the girls making his life a misery. "I'm just tired from all the high level thinking required here at Butterfield. It's much more demanding than public school."

"As it should be for ten grand a year." She waved when she saw Lindsay approaching. "There's my daughter now. I hope she's as exhausted."

"I have to go," Sean mumbled as he took off.

"Hmm…" Catherine's intuition told her another story. "Linds…"

"Mom!" Taking her friend's hand Lindsay introduced her. "This is Celine. She's a total brainiac. She's here on a full scholarship. And she plays softball!"

"Nice to meet you, Celine." Catherine held out her hand.

"Likewise." The girl demurely returned the handshake. "Lindsay was telling me earlier that she's struggling with some of the math. I offered to tutor her."

"Can I stay here for a couple of hours, Mom? We're allowed to use the library and the student union until eight every night," Lindsay asked. "I don't want to get behind on my first day."

"Uh…" Catherine checked her watch. "The problem is, I need to get in some sleep before shift and if you…"

"My mom could drive her home," Celine sweetly offered. "It's on the way."

"Oh." Catherine smiled at the nice new friend her daughter had made. "Thank you." Reaching into her purse Catherine produced a twenty. "In case you get hungry on a study break."

"Thanks, Mom!" Lindsay took the money and gave her a hug. "I'll see you at home."

"Nice meeting you, Ms. Willows," Celine shyly waved goodbye.

Once Catherine was out of sight Lindsay burst out laughing. "How easy was that!"

"Me…on scholarship. Ha!" Celine cracked up. "My father owns The Royale Hotel and Casino."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"We're going shopping, girlfriend." Celine grabbed Lindsay's hand and tugged. "Just because we have to dress like stuffy school girls on the outside, doesn't mean we have to be ones underneath. There's this great thong I saw in a magazine that I have to have!"

**Crime Lab  
****3:45 p.m**.

"Welcome back," Sara greeted her husband when he popped his head into the room. As luck would have it, they were alone and she could speak freely. "Did you pack all my romance supplies? I meant to ask specifically for my butterfly thong because…"

"Got it."

"Of course you did." Her smile unfurled. "I'll model it for you tonight."

"If you insist." Before leaving the room he informed her, "Oh…I spoke with my dad and you'll be happy to know the maintenance crew fixed the fan in the guest bathroom."

**University Trauma Center – Surgical Floor  
****Room 310  
****3:54 p.m. **

When she saw Nick returning from the bathroom on Hal's arm Carrie sweetly inquired, "Any output this time?" The first time he had no success.

"No," he grumped.

"Third time will be a charm," Hal said in a hopeful tone as he gently eased his patient onto the bed. "In other good news…I'm going to see where your first liquid meal is."

"Goody." Nick pulled the blanket up to his chin and as soon as they were alone he confessed to Carrie, "It's not my kidneys. I'm so freaking weak he has to hold me up while I hold my pecker. I can't pee while I'm quivering in some strange guy's arms and with my naked ass pressed against his big body. It's **way **too unnatural of a scenario for me. It's a serious case of stage fright, Darlin'. And stop laughing at me!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" She took a deep breath. "Maybe if I went in there with the two of you?"

Nick dropped his hands on his face. "Right…watching you watch me in that homo-erotic position is going to help."

"There's always the bedpan option Hal mentioned."

"I'm not peeing in a pan while lying in bed before the age of ninety-five, Darlin'."

"Knock knock…" Wendy's voice floated through the opening in the door. "Are you up for visitors? I have Sean and Ryan with me."

"Heck yeah!" Nick snapped out of his funk. "Come on in."

Carrie rushed to hug her sister-in-law. Until now they had only spoken on the phone. "Thanks for coming to visit."

"What the hell happened to you, Ryan?" Nick asked with concern when he saw his busted lip and black eye. "It's like looking in a mirror."

Carrie turned her attention to him as well. "Oh, my gosh. Who did that to you! We'll sue his ass."

Wendy placed one arm around each boy's shoulders. "After they accidentally overheard me talking to Paul about Nick's hospitalization and the fight he had with his brother, I lectured the boys and told them to work on their relationship…citing that they don't want to end up in the hospital one day after beating on each other. Today, one of Sean's old bullies at school went over to Ryan and said some nasty things about Sean."

"So I punched him," Ryan finished. "Unfortunately, the guy was way bigger than me and he got in a few good ones."

"He's suspended," Wendy admitted before releasing a groan. "The other boy was expelled though because he had a lot of history."

"Suspended!" Nick yelled, "On the first day of school? Damn…in my house that would have been equivalent to the Apocalypse."

Feeling terrible, Sean sadly said, "And he may get kicked off the football team." He turned to his aunt. "Is there anything legal you can do to prevent that?"

"I'm afraid not, Sweetie." Sensing Wendy was at wit's end and needed a sympathetic ear Carrie said, "Sis…would you mind going to the cafeteria with me to grab a bite while Sean and Ryan keep Nick company?"

"Please say yes, Wendy," Nick smiled. "I've been surrounded by my five sisters, mother and Carrie for days. I need a little male company."

Kissing her man's cheek Carrie teased, "You had plenty in the bathroom."

"Out!" He pointed to the door. "And take your time, Darlin'. I want some quality time with my posse. Pull up some chairs, men."

**Victoria's Secret  
****4:12 p.m. **

Holding up a scant piece of black lace Celine informed Lindsay, "My stepmom, Brandi, just bought a bunch of these for my sister. She said they drive men wild."

"How old is your sister?"

"Sixteen." Celine scoffed, "My stepmom is only twenty-two so they're like buds. Brandi was a topless dancer in my dad's hotel's big show, that's how they met."

"My parents got divorced too," Lindsay shared while shifting her eyes from one sexy piece of apparel to the next.

"Mom and dad got divorced when I was four. Dad's been married three times since. My mom just finalized her second divorce and is working on snagging husband number three." Spying the panties she came for Celine took off across the store.

"You're really going to wear that?" Lindsay asked in disbelief as she stared at the tiny scrap of black and hot pink fabric.

"Why? Do you think the butterflies on the string are too immature since I'm fourteen?"

"Uh…" Not wanting to appear like a silly little girl Lindsay replied, "Now that I see them up close, they don't look little girly, they look hot."

"Awesome!" Celine grabbed a pair in each color. "Aren't you going to get some?"

"Well, I didn't know I was going shopping today, so I didn't bring cash."

"Duh! They take credit cards here."

"I don't have a credit card."

"You don't?"

Watching her friend stare at her like she was a freak show exhibit Lindsay corrected, "I don't have it **with me**. My mom's real paranoid about identity theft so she tells me not to carry it unless I need to."

"Hey, no sweat. Pick your favorite color and I'll buy them for you. You can buy something for me next time."

"Oh…okay." Lindsay quickly grabbed a black and purple pair and handed them over. "Thanks."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****4:17 p.m. **

"Thank you but…" Lina stared at the gorgeous diamond bracelet Ron had just fastened around her wrist. "…it's too much."

"Are you kidding?" With his hands on her shoulders he beamed. "It's not nearly enough for putting up with me all these years. I could clean out Tiffany's and still be in the red. I love you, Lina. I have for a long time." Gently he brushed his lips over hers and together they reveled in their first kiss.

"Wow…" Lina's hands went to her blushing cheeks. "And I thought the bracelet was nice." Shyly she confessed, "That was my first kiss in many years."

"It was my first real one in a very long time." Taking her hand he escorted her to the door. "Now let's go shopping for things for **our** house."

"But the place comes fully decorated and furnished."

"With someone else's touches." He opened the door. "I want **our** home to have** your** touch."

"This fairy tale is getting better by the moment," she joked. "Not that I'm complaining. When Tawny returns from California we'll be able to compare notes."

**The Sanders Home  
****4:27 p.m. **

"Here we are," Bev cheerily announced while pulling into her circular drive.

"It's so beautiful!" Tawny exclaimed while eyeing the charming yet elegant sprawling two story home surrounded by lush landscaping and pockets of beautiful flowers. "It's so sweet and countryside at the same time it's so luxurious. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does, Honey," Bev replied while pulling her new pewter Mercedes SLK350 convertible roadster into her spot in the four car garage right before Greg drove into his old spot in his Z.

"Mom!" he yelled as they all exited their cars. "You were way over the speed limit and you cut someone off."

"Sorry, Honey…" She covered her mouth like a guilty child. "It's such a smooth ride that…"

"My kids were in the car with you on the freeway." He rushed over to Tawny's side. "Why didn't you answer your cell? I was calling you to tell her to slow down."

"Oops." She fumbled through her purse until she found her phone. "The ringer's off." Slipping her arms around his waist she smiled. "Aww…you were worried about the babies and me."

As Greg cuddled her, he scowled at his reckless mother.

"Do you want to ground me?" Bev asked, trying to joke her way out of the dog house.

"Beverly Hojem Sanders, this is not a laughing matter," he scolded before breaking out in a laugh. "I'll forgive you if you give me the keys and let me drive it while I'm here."

"Deal." She tossed them and then caught his.

"Sweet." He tucked them in his pocket and grabbed Tawny's hand. "We'll get your stuff after the tour."

As Bev unlocked the door leading from the garage into the house she said, "Your father won't be home until six so feel free to act pregnant, Tawny and let's get some gushing about babies in before he gets here. I bought a few things and have them locked in my dresser."

"Ooh!" she squealed, hoping to catch a sneak peek of the ring while she was at it.

"Don't even think about it," Greg warned. "When and how I'm proposing along with what the ring looks like are all the surprises I have left. I don't even want her to see the box, Mom. Got it?"

"There's no way I'm ruining the surprise, Honey," Bev replied as she walked down the hall towards the kitchen. She worked too hard arranging the extravaganza to have it ruined.

Taking in every inch of the home's décor Tawny said, "I haven't felt this kind of anticipation since I was a little girl on Christmas morning."

Bev rolled her eyes, "And how did you celebrate Christmas in Amish country, Ann Yoder?" Tawny had filled her in on the plan on the drive over.

"Well, like any other day we woke and completed our chores but after that, we gathered, and the eldest member of the group read the story of Christmas from the Bible. After that, we drew lots to see who would open their presents first after the noon meal." Tawny winked at Greg. "Most gifts are hand made and they were always practical. Some things we do the same as The English though…like baking special cookies and exchanging greeting cards."

"Brava," Bev clapped. "You had me snowed."

"Holy shit!" Tawny shrieked when she looked out the kitchen windows. "That's your backyard? It looks like a resort. Oh my god! It's so freakin' awesome!"

Bev winked at her son. "She sounded very Amish just then."

"Well, she has been off the farm for five years." Greg unlocked the French doors and joked, "I'll take you for a stroll of the grounds. I think you'll like what you see."

**University Trauma Center – Surgical Floor  
****Room 310  
****4:41 p.m**.

When Carrie and Wendy reached the open doorway to Nick's room they were surprised to see Ryan reading aloud from his Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone book while Sean watched sports on TV.

"'I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half ex'…" Stuck on the word Ryan began sounding it out. "Ex-as-perat-ed. What's that?"

"Ex-**as**-per-ate-ed," Sean mindlessly corrected his brother. "You didn't know what it was because you were saying it wrong."

"I'm coaching him," Nick reminded him. "What's happening in the game?"

"Two strikes have been thrown and three balls. There is a player on first, second and third bases, and it's the top of the ninth inning."

Ryan rolled his eyes, "You mean…it's do or die with a full count and bases loaded."

"We have a long way to go to get you both balanced, gentlemen," Nick sighed. "Exasperated, to answer your question, Ryan, means to be impatient and angry. Like you get when Sean doesn't know something you think he should and vice versa."

"Why does it say Professor McGonagall is **half** exasperated?" He smiled when he got the word right this time. "How can you be half impatient and angry?"

"McGonagall is also admiring Dumbledore for being able to say Voldemort's name without fear so she's partly irritated and partly proud. Kind of like when I broke my brother's nose the other day…he was pissed off because it hurt but he was proud I managed to accomplish it after all these years. Not that I'm sayin' it's ever good to break someone's nose."

Wendy saw it as a good point to step inside the room. "I'm half exasperated and half proud of you, Ryan…I'm proud that you defended your brother but ticked about how you went about it."

"You're back already?" Nick stated before checking the clock. "I was just getting into the story. Until now I've only heard about this Harry Potter stuff, I've never had time to get into it. It's cool."

"Aww…" Wendy patted the patient on the head. "How about Ryan leaves his copy here and I'll buy him a new one on the way home. Then, since he's suspended, I can bring him back tomorrow and leave him for an hour and the two of you can have your own book club."

"Cool!" Ryan handed over his copy. "How many pages do you think you can read by morning?"

"Is that some kind of challenge, Punk?" Nick leafed through the book. "Since I'm still a little weak and on drugs I'll say…the first five chapters."

Sean covered his mouth to stifle the laugh. Ryan hadn't read five chapters all summer, to think he'd do five in one night was impossible.

"You're on!"

"And, Sean…" Nick called over. "Your homework is to watch Sportscenter and tell me some plays of the day. Your brother can give you an assist if you need it."

"Speaking of brothers…" Jillian announced from the doorway. "Nicky…you father and brother are down the hall in the lounge. Are you up for their visit or should they come back later?"

Wendy scooted her boys out of the room. "See you tomorrow."

Glancing over at Carrie, Nick asked, "Will you be my bodyguard, Sweetheart?"

"You bet." She took a seat on the edge of the bed. "I may not be strong enough to walk you to the bathroom but if your brother gets out of line rest assured I'll be kicking him in the nuts. Jillian…in ten minutes, send them in."

**Crime Lab  
****5:02 p.m. **

As soon as he stepped outside the building with Sara, Gil took his wife's hand. "Feel like celebrating your Hcg results?"

His thoughtfulness delighting her, Sara asked, "Hmm…what did you have in mind?"

"Taking you out to dinner. I was thinking of…" His offer was interrupted when a distinguished man in a suit approached. "Excuse me, are you Dr. Gil Grissom?"

Believing he recognized the man from a court and thinking he was a fellow scientist Gil answered, "Yes. And you are?"

Reaching into his pocket the man retrieved an envelope. "Here you go." When the envelope was taken from his hands he turned to walk away. "You've been served."

"Served?" Sara snipped. "With what?"

Holding up the paper Gil shook his head. "A temporary order of protection until a court hearing. Specifically, an Injunction against Harassment, courtesy of none other than Ben Rodgers."

"Unbelievable!" Sara snatched the document.

"Remember…we agreed, we're not going to let them interfere with our happiness." Gil removed the document from his angry wife's hands. "Even if this holds up in court, which I'm sure it won't…it means I can't get near Ben Rodgers, that's not going to change anything about my life."

"It's so annoying."

"Exactly." Gil stuck the envelope in his briefcase. "Annoying us is the goal. Now I have to take off from work and attend a hearing."

"Fine." Sara shook off the irritation. "Whatever. We're the ones celebrating our baby, going out to dinner wherever we please and then returning to a comfy bed where we'll make love all night…"

Gil raised his brows.

"Well for an hour anyway," Sara laughed. "My point is…the best Mike can hope for tonight is prison rations and a date with his hand or some big dude named Bubba. Annoying us from behind bars is realistically the only way he can have fun. Well that, or closing his eyes and living out his sick fantasies."

**Ely State Prison Library  
****5:09 p.m. **

After placing his library books in the return slot, Mike meandered to the rear of the room.

"What are you looking for?" Ray Innes, one of the guards working library duty asked.

"A good **read**," he answered through a grin while stealthily slipping a tightly folded hundred dollar bill to his buddy. "As you were, man." With that, Mike opened the usually locked door to the supply closet and slipped inside like he did every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at ten after five. "Well, hello there," he greeted his date who was leaning against a box of donated books.

"How are you, Michael?" The thirty-four year old librarian with dark brown hair and brown eyes grinned at the sight of her man. "I've missed you."

"Good…because I've missed you, Sweetheart." He wasted no time getting busy because he only had ten minutes. "You got the perfume I told you to buy." It was the one Sara wore in Tahoe.

"Yes," Janice confirmed while letting him have his way. "Thanks for giving me the money to buy it."

"Anything for you, Baby. Now remember…no words." It was astonishing, the similarities between her and Sara, their bodies were almost identical, all that was missing was a slight gap between her front teeth and Sara's sexy voice. …that's why he always asked her not to speak and focused on her hair. Under those terms, the fantasy was nearly perfect and now the new perfume brought it to new heights.

Janice couldn't blame him for being pent up so she never complained about his gruffness. One day, when he was free from the unjust prison term and they were married and not making love on the sly, she was sure he'd be gentler.

"Don't worry, Baby…" He grinned, thinking of the fantasy one day turning reality. "…I'm almost there."

**Celine**** Campbell's Limo  
****5:17 p.m. **

"Can we cruise for a while because I'm loving the ride? I can't believe you have a limo!" Lindsay yelled for the third time as she reclined on the plush velvet seat.

"It's the hotel's limo," she corrected. "It's one of the perks you get when your dad owns a hotel."

Opening the sun roof Lindsay huffed, "Yeah? My granddad owns a bunch of hotels and he's never offered me a limo at my disposal."

Fixing her lip gloss Celine asked, "Who's your grandfather?"

"Sam Braun."

Dropping her gloss she barked, "What did you just say?"

"Sam Braun…he's my grandfather."

Pressing the call button Celine yelled, "Stop the car!" Next she reached over and opened the backdoor. "You have to get out."

"What!" Lindsay glanced out the open door. "You're kicking me out on The Strip? Why!"

"Because Sam Braun screwed my dad out of some property and he's like number one on my dad's shit list, that's why! If he knows I'm hanging out with Sam's granddaughter he'll go postal." She started pushing Lindsay out the door. "We can't be friends."

"What is this, platonic Romeo and Juliet! Our families are feuding so we can't hang?" Lindsay yelled as she grabbed her backpack and practically fell out of the limo.

"Exactly!" With that, Celine slammed the door.

Watching the limo peel away Lindsay was floored. A man she had interacted with only a handful of times just cost her the first cool friend she made at Butterfield. "Damn." Tossing her pack on her back she started down the street. There in the distance she saw the flashing sign of her grandfather's newest hotel, The Tempest and her eyes narrowed. "I'm going to give that man a piece of my mind!"

**University Trauma Center – Surgical Floor  
****Room 310  
****5:25 p.m. **

Sitting in chairs next to Nick's bed, Judge Stokes and Andy waited for Nick's nurse to finish changing out an IV bag before making their apologies. They were just about to speak when the gentleman had bounded into the room.

In an effort to weather the severely awkward silence Carrie said, "As luck would have it, today's Jell-O flavor here at the hospital is cherry…Nicky's favorite."

"It was good," he added while giving Carrie's hand a squeeze. "I ate the whole cup. And there was some broth."

"Bullion actually," Carrie sweetly corrected.

"Yeah, bullion…right…that was good too."

When the terribly uncomfortable feeling quickly returned Carrie remedied the situation yet again. "How's your nose, Andy?"

"Huh?" Focused on his planned speech he had tuned out the conversation. "I don't care for Jell-O but, if I had to choose, I'd say my favorite flavor is lime."

"I asked, how's your nose?"

"Oh." Instinctively bringing his fingers to his crooked schoz he replied, "I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to have it re-broken and set. Thanks for asking."

"Ooh." Carrie shivered. "Sounds painful." She left out the second half of her thought…I hope they don't have any pain medication on hand and just give you a stick to bite down on, you dirty dog.

"All set," Hal announced. "Mr. Stokes, I'll be back in twenty five minutes for our third try. If you need me before then, buzz me."

"Sure thing, Hal." Nick waved. _Yeah…I'm counting the minutes until I get to have my pee crawl back up **yet again**, because you're holding me tight and breathing down my neck waiting to see some results. And when you don't see results this time… you're gonna expect me to lie still in bed while you grab my pecker and shove a tube up it. Holy hell, I want to kill my brother all over again for starting this whole mess. _

When Carrie saw Nick furiously snapping his rubber band she grabbed his wrist. "Honey…"

"Oh."

"Nick…" Judge Stokes cleared his throat. "Your brother and I are here to apologize to you."

"I get why Andy needs to apologize, Dad…but why you?"

Carrie scooted a little closer to her puzzled fiancé and waited for an explanation.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that emotions have been running quite high the past couple of days. This morning your mother sat me down and brought something to my attention." He glanced over at his eldest son. "When you were in surgery, your fiancée, who was gravely concerned about you, confronted Andrew about his treatment of you over the years. During that heated conversation Andrew told your mother that he was following my orders to toughen you up."

Knowing the revelation would be hard on Nick, Carrie grasped his hand a little tighter.

"Although he has solidified his reputation as a liar, it pains me to admit he was not lying about that. I told your brother I was concerned you weren't tough enough to make something of yourself in this oft-merciless world. I saw you as weak…a mama's boy is the term I used with your brother, because you had suddenly started clinging to your mama and crying too easy." After a quick breath he confessed, "I specifically directed Andrew to do whatever it took to get you to come around. Only today do I realize how far he took his role and while he clearly should have maintained certain boundaries, I am ultimately responsible because I never asked how he was accomplishing the task. I just blindly accepted the success."

"Um…when was this order given to Andy?" Nick asked after swallowing the lump that had risen in his throat.

"When you were nine," the burdened father replied. "Now, your mother has told me that I was gravely mistaken about the situation, that there were extenuating circumstances that led to your behavior, but she would not tell me what those were. She said it would be up to you to tell me and that it was within your rights not to share the details and not my place to push if you opted not to share them." When he saw his son tense and Carrie gulp, Judge Stokes nodded, "Honestly, I don't ever need to know the details, Son, if you don't want to share them."

Nick released the breath held hostage in his lungs.

"So, with all that said, Nicholas…I hope you will accept my apology for my gross error in judgment, my poor parenting decision, and the subsequent suffering you endured when you had already suffered enough." Swallowing hard he said, "I will be taking the guilt to my grave because…I expected perfection from my children while I wasn't practicing it myself. Hypocrisy, as you know, is a hard pill for me to swallow. I am guilty as charged and can only ask for your forgiveness because I am truly remorseful and come before you a humbled man."

Overwhelmed, he looked to Carrie for validation and when he saw tears welling in her eyes and a quick nod he returned his gaze to his sullen father. "I accept your apology and want nothing more than to put it behind us and move on."

"Thank you, Son. You and your mother have always been the most compassionate ones in our family. I'm glad Andrew was unsuccessful in eradicating that. " Judge Stokes rose and extended his hand. Once the gesture was accepted he said, "Now, I'll leave your brother to speak his peace. And, Carrie…when you have a chance, I need to share a conversation I had with your boss earlier. I'll wait for you in the lounge."

"My boss?" Carrie felt torn between her curiosity and her job as bodyguard.

"I'll be okay," Nick gently pushed her.

Andy raised his hand. "I swear he's safe with me, but if it makes you feel better you can tie me to the chair."

After looking around the room for something that would function like rope but not seeing anything, Carrie relented, "I won't be long."

Once they were alone Andy moved from the chair to the edge of Nick's bed.

"Are you going to smother me?" Nick snipped. "Because you should know that's one of the easiest murders to figure out."

"Damn…" Andy tossed up his hands. "I guess it's on to Plan B then."

**The Sanders Home  
****5:45 p.m. **

"Aren't they adorable?" Bev asked Tawny as she held up the matching baby outfits she pulled from her dresser drawer. "They can be used for a boy or girl so, whatever combo we get, they'll work."

"Greg!" Tawny gushed with excitement. "Can you believe how cute these are!"

Lying on his parents' bed watching the spectacle he replied, "Seeing those teeny tiny outfits is making me really tense. Little babies will be in those…and little babies hate me."

Deflated, she snapped, "Would you stop saying that already. **Our babies** will not hate you."

"I have a surprise for you, Honey." Bev took a seat on the bed next to her nervous son. "Robbie and his wife are joining us for dinner tonight and they're bringing their four month old…"

"Baby!" Tawny screeched. "Yes! It will love you and you'll get over your fear once and for all." Holding up one of the little outfits covered in pastel safari animals she imagined little Haleigh Ann Sanders in it. "Awww."

"I thought I heard voices in here," Scott announced as he stepped into his bedroom. "Tawny!"

"Oh!" Tawny hid the baby outfits behind her back, not realizing one slipped and fell to the floor in the process.

"Honey!" Bev scampered over to smooch her husband and distract him. "You're early."

Greg rolled off the bed and kicked the second baby outfit under the dresser. "Hi, Dad!" When he placed his arm around Tawny's waist he took the outfit from her hand and jammed it in his pocket. "Busy day at the office?"

"An emergency appointment threw the whole schedule out of whack this morning, but thanks to a few cancellations, we got back on track."

"What's that smell?" Tawny asked as her stomach started to violently churn.

"Surprise!" Scott produced a jumbo bag of raw shrimp. "A little surf to go with our turf at tonight's BBQ." He held it up for his guest to inspect. "Caught right off the coast."

One look at the slimy crustaceans along with another whiff of their smelly odor and Tawny was clamping her hands over her mouth trying to figure out which door was the bathroom.

"That's a closet!" Greg yelled. "Go right. No! Your other right! Oh!"

The three Sanders family members cringed simultaneously as Tawny hurled into a hamper.

"That's okay, Sweetie," Bev assured her. "They were dirty anyway."

Scott's eyes were fixed on the baby outfit spilling out of his son's pocket. "Greg…why do you have infant wear stuffed in your trousers?" Then he turned to see Tawny heave a second time while clutching her belly…a belly that looked slightly bigger than the first time he met her. Right after that, his eyes fell on an open baby décor magazine lying on the bed and then they moved to his wife who looked tense. "Bev?" Finally they came to rest on his son who looked tenser still. "Greg…"

"Those shrimp really should get to the fridge." Greg snatched the bag and darted out of the room. "Food poisoning can occur when shellfish is not properly stored."

"Oh my god!" Bev shrieked. "She's fainting."

"Catch her!" Greg dropped the shrimp and raced back into the room.

"I've got her," Scott assured his son while gently placing Tawny on the bed. "Is this a medical emergency and I should call 911?" Gently tapping the girl's cheeks he offered another option. "Or, are sudden nausea, vomiting and fainting a routine happening for some biologically explicable and highly disappointing reason?"

"Uh…" Greg averted his eyes.

Scott pulled out his cell phone and punched in the number nine.

"Um…" Sweating profusely he struggled for the right words.

He punched in a one and shoved the phone displaying 9-1 in front of his son's face. "Do I need to keep going, Gregory?"

"No."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and enjoyed the mostly lighthearted chapter.

Thanks to Rojaji, Misty J and moia for their reviews.

**Thanks for reading everyone!**

**Maggs**

**Next Chapter:** Gil and Sara do something hot, Greg is ablaze on the hot seat, Lindsay is ready to give her granddad some hell, and Nick listens to his brother and wonders whether or not he should go to hell. **Posting:** Wednesday night.


	16. Chapter 16

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 16**

**August 31, 2005  
****Trauma Center – Surgical Floor  
****Room 310  
****5:50 p.m.**

"Plan B, huh?" Nick waited impatiently. "Which is? Come on, Andy…I'm not half exasperated, I'm **fully **exasperated. Let's have it."

"Shit, Nicky…you know how hard it is to follow **Dad**? I had everything planned that I wanted to say, but that speech he made…anything I say after that will sound pathetic."

"Truly, it must suck to be you right now." Nick narrowed his gaze. "Would you do me a favor while you're feeling sorry for yourself…could you hand me my cup of ice chips because this huge incision I have in my gut prevents me from doing it on my own…thanks."

"That was good." Grinning he reached for the Styrofoam cup and handed it to his brother. "It's not that I'm feeling sorry for myself…it's…you deserved to hear something good from me and when I listened to Dad I realized that what I had planned to say sounded ridiculous."

After chomping a few frozen chips Nick said, "Here's a hint…start with I'm sorry."

"I'm **really **sorry."

"I like how you came up with that 'really' part on your own."

"Okay…straight up." Rubbing his palms together Andy said, "I won't say if I could do it all over again I wouldn't have followed Dad's orders, because you know if the man had told me to drown you in the lake I would have been gathering up rocks and a burlap sack to stuff you in. He said jump, I screamed how high and that's just the way things were back then. If you had ever let on that there were extenuating circumstances I know I would have brought them to Dad's attention, but you didn't and I never saw anything but you being a wimpy kid brother who was an embarrassment to me and my family's name."

"Fair enough." Nick folded his arms across his chest.

"But if I could go back, I would adjust my approach." Andy pushed out a breath. "Although Dad gave me specific expectations for you, he never suggested I be a maniacal asshole at times to achieve the desired result. That I'm afraid was my own choice, and for that I am partially remorseful. I say partially because I'm conflicted."

"How so?"

"Because look at you…" Drew broke into a grin. "…you turned out a hell of a lot better than me. Maybe if I had me busting my ass I'd be a better person because I would have worked damned hard, like you, not to be like me."

After a slight processing delay, Nick returned the smile. "Did you just admit you are the inferior of the two of us?"

"I believe I did." Andy laughed, "Does that make my speech better than Dad's?"

"No." Nick joined in the laughter. "Sucks to come in second, doesn't it? It's about time you experienced that feeling."

"Hell, Nicky I've screwed up my life so bad that second's a dream spot…" The laughter abruptly ended. "…right now I'm in last and still falling."

The somber mood returning Nick said, "I heard about the public humiliation in the visitor's lounge. While you definitely deserved all of it and more, I'm really sorry about the divorce because, it's gonna hurt the kids."

"Well…the good news is…Lissa called me a few hours ago and said that we have to put the bullshit aside and figure out how to protect our kids in all this."

"You think you can work things out and stay married?" Nick said optimistically. "I've heard of couples who even after infidelity…"

"No…I'm talking about coming up with an arrangement that impacts the children least." Andy shook his head. "I don't think Lissa's ever gonna get over me screwing other women while married to her, even though she told me to go out and find someone else when she froze me out."

"I can't understand why she would tell you that."

"Well…"

_Chasing his wife into the bedroom Drew yelled, "God dammit, Lissa! I'm at the end of my rope here. I just finished a shitty week in Bangkok trying to close a deal and I want to come home to a wife who is dressed like a woman and anxious to fall into bed with me. Is that so wrong! Instead, I walk through the door and find you wearing that god awful baggy sweatshirt with no make up, still smelling like baby drool, and all you want to do is finish watching American Idol when it's on TiVo. What the hell!" _

_"I'm a mother of three, not your prom date," she snapped while taking her book from the nightstand. _

_Grabbing her arm he heatedly replied, "And I'm a grown man, not a fifteen year old who's content with jacking off in the shower! I want my wife back. This was not the deal we made before I slipped that diamond on your finger, Ms. Lexington. I promised to give you the life you dreamed of…the million dollar home, the country club membership, the fancy car, the designer clothes, the jewels and me as a devoted husband. I think we both know I've busted my ass to give all of those things to you. You agreed to be a devoted wife who wanted to have my children. Now call me insane but, my definition of devotion includes you touching me!"_

_"Are you going to force yourself on me?" she screamed while shaking loose of his grip. _

_"No…" Holding up his hands he backed away. "You know I'd never do that because if I had it in me I would have done it six months ago. But I'm really tired of living like this, Lissa. Come on…for the hundredth time, I'm sorry about getting on you about your weight. If you're happy looking like this then I…" _

_"Get out!" She threw the book at his chest. "Go find someone else to screw!" _

_"What?" _

_"You heard me!" _

_"Fine…I'm done." On a dime he headed for the door. "You won't have to ask me twice." _

"That's messed up." Nick stared at his brother. "I can't imagine letting something get that far gone with Carrie. We've only been together a short while but we've worked real hard to get close and keep things honest, even when it's difficult. And if we ever started having that kind of problem in the bedroom, I'd make damn sure we got some help because I'd rather cut it off than cheat on her."

"Nice segue into the next apology I owe you." Andy cleared his throat and said, "I'm very sorry for the things I said about Carrie. I had no right to speak of her based on what I saw in a few photographs. Now that I have seen her in action, I can understand why you're head over heels and believe your marriage will be much more successful than mine. She's quite special and you're a lucky man."

"Thank you," Carrie replied while pushing the half-open door and walking through. "I wasn't eavesdropping the whole time…" Returning to Nick's side she said, "I came to the door right before you said you'd cut it off rather than cheat on me."

Andy patted his brother's knee. "That's gonna score you some big time points, Bro."

"Okay, Mr. Stokes," Hal greeted as he walked into the room. "It's time."

"Oh shit." Nick covered his face with his hands.

"No, you have seventy-two hours more hours to do that." Grabbing the IV pole Hal chuckled, "I only need you to urinate."

"Hey!" Nick suddenly had a brainstorm. "My brother is as strong as you, Hal. He can take me."

Hal considered the option. "You're not planning on getting him to pee in the output bowl on your behalf, are you? Because, I'm not doing this to annoy you, we need to make sure the plumbing's working and if you fake this and your bladder doesn't void, there are serious health risks you..."

"I swear I won't pee for him." Andy held up the Boy Scout pledge sign. "On my honor. Since you don't know me, that's probably still worth somethin' to you."

"My honor is still pristine." Nick held up the same Boy Scout sign. "I'll never do anything to jeopardize my health again because..." He winked at Carrie. "…I absolutely understand that the consequences are too great."

**The Sanders Home  
****6:00 p.m. **

Returning with a cool washcloth, Greg gently placed it on Tawny's forehead. "After she's back on her feet, I'll tell you everything, Dad. I already told Mom…an hour ago."

Thanks to a pair of low-rise capris and a billowy cami that had been pushed up when she was placed on the bed, Tawny's midriff was exposed. Scott, who had been an OB/GYN med student for three years before abruptly switching to Dental school, placed his open palm over Tawny's womb and checked his suspicions. "I'd guess almost three months."

"Eleven weeks," Greg admitted while helping a groggy Tawny sit up. "You fainted, Sweetie."

"Wh…" Holding her head she relaxed against Greg's chest. A few deep breaths later she said, "Oh…I fainted did you say? I um…forgot to eat today. I've put on a few pounds and have been trying to lose weight…"

"Honey…" Greg gave her shoulders a squeeze. "The jig is up. My dad figured it out."

Standing up Scott said, "The morning sickness, infant clothes, baby magazine, fainting and Greg's frantic expression were my first clues. I figured the rest out on my own."

"Sorry, Greg." Tawny lowered her head. "I know you wanted to tell him like you planned."

The musical chimes of the doorbell halted Greg's words.

"Oh boy." Bev's palm slapped her head. "That would be Robbie, Joyce and their…" Shaking her head she finished, "…new **baby**. Uh…I'll make excuses for the three of you to be delayed, get them drinks and serve appetizers." On the way past her husband she took his hand. "Scott, promise me you'll really listen to him and not lose it during the first part of the story…which I'll warn you…**really **stinks. Hell,** I** almost wanted to kill him, so you know it has to be bad."

"Thanks for setting things up for me, Mom." He waved her out.

"Here, Tawny…" Scott handed over the can of Sprite his wife had rushed to retrieve when the girl fainted. "Get some sugar in your system."

"Thank you." Without looking at him she took the can and sipped.

"**None **of this is Tawny's fault," Greg firmly announced, immediately taking accountability like Mrs. Stokes had suggested when she helped him develop his speech on Saturday. "I mean other than providing the means for it to occur. I don't want you getting any crazy ideas that she trapped me or tricked me. She didn't. I planned on having protected sex but forgot my condoms. When I told her I didn't have anything, Tawny was adamant that she never has unprotected sex. Although she eventually gave in, she absolutely expected me not to um…" Try as he might to maintain eye contact as Mrs. Stokes had urged, he glanced away. "She expected me not to finish and I didn't plan to finish but…in the heat of the moment, and never having had sex without a condom before, I forgot to put the brakes on. Since you were a med student, I'm sure you can figure the rest out from there."

Scott looked at Tawny. "He said you eventually gave in. Did he force…"

"No." Tawny vehemently shook her head. "No, god no. He asked me twice and the second time I said yes and actually initiated the action. Honestly, Mr. Sanders…Greg is trying to make me sound as innocent as possible when really I'm equally guilty except for the not finishing part because I couldn't do anything about that since I was um…underneath…and Greg was too focused to hear me reminding him."

"I see." Rubbing his temples Scott asked, "How long were you together before this happened?"

"Ninety minutes," Tawny honestly answered.

"No, I think it was upwards of two hours," Greg countered.

"Are you including the sex? I was only talking about the time leading up to the…"

"Kids…" Scott grabbed their attention. "I meant how long were you** dating** before the unprotected sex occurred?"

With their eyes focused on the hardwood of the bedroom floor they both shamefully answered, "Ninety minutes."

"You didn't even know each other when you…let me guess…that would be the part of the story that really stinks and almost made your mother want to kill you, right, Greg?"

"Pretty much."

"But Greg has been a stand up guy since the minute he found out I was pregnant!" Tawny added with an overdose of enthusiasm. "Even when I offered to abort the baby for him, Greg saw that I really didn't want to and he refused to take me up on it. Instead, he asked me to move in…platonically…so he could make sure I was eating right and sleeping well." Her voice filling with love she informed the concerned father, "And then…one night, after he got home from working this really horrific case…we realized we had each other and a baby on the way and life seemed full of hope again. We fell in love and we've been falling harder ever since. He's going to make an honest woman of me too…very soon…and we'll live happily ever after, you'll see."

"Oh, Tawny." Scott sank in a chair. "I mean no disrespect by this but, you're a hopelessly romantic twenty-two year old caught up in a fantasy. You sound Disney-esque." Softening his voice he counseled, "Sweetheart…this isn't a fairy tale, the reality is, you have no house, no savings, and you only have a GED. And you should know, the only thing Greg has ever taken care of in his life is a hamster and Bev cleaned the cage and paid for its supplies. Marriage alone is an enormous responsibility but a baby too..."

"Dad…" Greg finally found his voice. "I know all that. I swear I'm working everything out and it's going to be fine. I've got a roof for my family and..."

"A roof **given to you** by Gil Grissom supposedly for saving his wife's life, but now I know it's because he felt sorry for you for getting a girl pregnant without being able to afford a place with a second bedroom. And we both know the money is not the problem here," Scott snapped. "Your mother would empty her trust fund making sure you and her grandchild want for nothing. The problem is…you and Tawny **barely know each** **other** and while you're humming along on this romantic buzz right now, you have no idea how hard things are going to get in the months and years ahead. Greg, I've watched you struggle with some very basic responsibilities over the years, so forgive me if I seem skeptical that you…"

"I know that, Dad. I know!" The conversation was suddenly reminding him of all the other times they butted heads over the years. "And I promise I…"

"You promise?" Scott's anger triggered. "Isn't that what you said when I gave you your first box of condoms…I **promise **to use them? I'm really pissed off that I educated you **repeatedly **on the importance of being a responsible sexual partner, but you couldn't halt the action long enough to run to one of the **dozens **of stores on every street corner in Vegas and buy some protection! In this fairy tale life of yours were you afraid she was going to change into a toad if you said can we wait ten minutes while I run to the store!"

"Dad!"

"It was a selfish act, Greg!" Scott leapt from the chair and paced the room. "You're a spoiled brat and this is the most selfish thing you've ever done. Congratulations! You've replaced stupidly partying yourself into a near-coma at thirteen with this one. Tawny shouldn't be pregnant at twenty-two when she's just starting college. Her whole life should be ahead of her! You're thirty and a genius, not sixteen and stupid. You had no right to be reckless with her future."

"Please stop!" Tawny begged as she jumped up from the bed. "You've got it all wrong. I mean…you're right about a lot of stuff, but not about Greg destroying my future." Wiping her tears she said, "I only have a future now that I'm with Greg. The only started taking college classes because he encouraged me. Your son is the most loving and supportive man I've ever met." Pleading with her eyes she implored the disappointed father, "If you have to be mad at him for all the other stuff, okay…but don't yell at him and blame him for ruining my life. He is my life, and together with our babies, we're going to make it work as a family…no matter how much the odds are stacked against us. I know this because we have the most important value in common…we believe in the value of marriage!" She was certain Mr. Dugan would be proud of her for remembering that fact. "Please..."

"Okay, Honey. I promise I won't be angry at him for that, but the other things are still fair game." Scott smiled at the emotional girl and patted her arm. "From listening to you, it's quite obvious that you love my son and I'm genuinely happy that you've found stability with him, even if it is hard for me to fathom that Greg could provide such a thing."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Now tell me why you said **babies**, not baby."

"Oops." Gnawing at her lip she turned to Greg. "Your turn."

**The Melting Pot  
****6:14 p.m. **

After being seated at the intimate curved booth for two in the corner of the dimly lit restaurant, Sara snuggled up to her husband. "Ever since Carrie mentioned having fondue in Flagstaff I've been craving it. I had it once in Boston a lifetime ago."

"On a date?"

Cringing she confessed, "Yes. Wow…talk about a major romance faux-pas…bringing up another date on a date."

"Was it a good date?"

"No." She shrugged. "I mean it wasn't an awful date, but it wasn't memorable." Sara gave a light laugh. "Except for the fondue. It's pretty sad when you remember the food better than the guy."

"Not for me it's not." Gil stole a kiss.

"Good evening," the muscular but lean young man wearing the restaurant uniform enthusiastically greeted. "I'm Dante." He flicked his shiny jet black dyed hair off his face and flashed a movie star smile.

"What an appropriate name," Gil remarked in a wondrous tone. "Because you work around open flames."

"Huh?" The eighteen year aspiring dancer who just arrived from Utah two weeks previous, stared at the guest. "It's my stage name actually, my real name is Ezekiel…I was raised Mormon. I'm trying to break into show business here. I have an audition tomorrow at The Tempest to be an apple in some show about the Garden of Eden. A friend of mine picked out the name Dante for me…he said it sounded hot."

"And he was right." Sara nodded. "The reference is to Dante's Inferno…a famous novel about a man's journey through the circles of hell. Hell…flames…Dante." She smiled at the confused lad. "Don't be put off, we're excellent tippers."

"In that case," Dante grinned, "What can I get you to drink this evening?"

"Your best bottle of non-alcoholic champagne." Tossing his arm around Sara, Gil proudly said, "My wife's pregnant and we're celebrating."

"No doubt." Dante reached over and lit the fondue pots. "If I was your age and got a girl pregnant I'd be partying too. Of course, since I'm gay, I'd be pretty surprised to find out I got a girl pregnant." He laughed while stepping back. "I'll be right back with that fake stuff."

Sara covered her face with the menu and laughed. "He's so cute and dense I can't be pissed at him for insinuating you're old."

"Is it really an insinuation when I'm forty-nine?" Gil shook his head. "Out of the mouths of babes comes the truth."

"Aww." Gripping his chin she smooched him hard.

"I seem to attract quirky servers when I dine." Reaching for the menu Gil laughed. "After all, Tawny was my server too."

"I hope everything goes well in California for them." Always a skilled multi-tasker, Sara salivated over the different types of cheese fondues on the menu while she worried about her friends. "They've come so far to have it all go to hell."

"Here we are…" Dante showed off the sparkling cider as if it were fine wine. "I've never served this before so, I'm not sure what to do exactly. My friend, the one who got me the job here, said a lot of recovering drunks order it so it's good practice because there are apparently a lot of them in Vegas."

Sara held up the menu as she laughed at the boy's impropriety.

"How long have you been professionally dancing, Dante?" Gil asked, hoping for some more comedic material.

"Two weeks."

"You mean you don't have any formal training?" He saw his wife shaking. "That might prove difficult, because the competition for show spots here is rather fierce."

"Well…where I grew up people would think a guy queer if he took dance so I had to practice in secret with bootleg videotapes." With that he popped the cork. "Check it out…it works just like the real stuff." After filling the glasses he winked. "I'll be back in a few to take your order."

When he was gone Sara lowered the menu. "I really want our ex-Mormon, homosexual waiter/aspiring dancer with no experience, tact or concept of irony, to get that job as a dancing apple tomorrow."

"You're such a softie."

"I'm calling Catherine." She reached for her cell.

"On our date?"

"The Tempest is Sam Braun's hotel. Maybe she can pull a few strings."

"Sara!" Gil raised his glass of virgin bubbly to hide his laughter. "You heard him…he has no training. What if he stinks? And you know I'm not a fan of Braun."

"How good do you think you have to be to play a dancing fruit?" Sara rolled her eyes. "It's an eye candy part and Dante is sweet. He kind of reminds me of Tawny when I first met her and look how far she's come since someone gave her a break."

**The Sanders Home  
****6:30 p.m. **

"Robbie!" Greg entered the kitchen with a smile plastered on his face even though he had spent the last half hour being ripped to shreds by his father. "It's been too long! I was so psyched when my mom told me you guys were coming to dinner." He was relieved that his parents were nowhere to be found.

"Hoj!" With open arms he greeted his long-time friend. "I barely recognize you with the calm hair and shirt. You look great, man…almost normal."

"And you're looking a lot less like your old geeky self."

With her makeup freshly applied, Tawny stood quietly behind Greg, still trying to recover from the emotional fallout.

Greg moved over to Joyce and kissed her cheek. "Congratulations on the bambino. You look fantastic."

"Well…" Joyce shyly smoothed her hands over her hips which still bore the aftereffects of pregnancy. "I have a ways to go but thank you for pretending not to notice. It's great to see you again, Greg. Oh, and in case you were wondering, your mom has Emma in the stroller showing her to your neighbors."

"I was wondering. I can't wait to meet her." Greg returned to the doorway and took Tawny's hand. "Speaking of meeting someone…this shy one over here is my girlfriend and love of my life, Tawny Cooper…I met her after rubbing a lamp and wishing for the perfect woman." He burst into a smile when he saw her gush. "Tawny…this is Robbie Schwartz, the one guy who was kind enough to tolerate me in high school and his beautiful, charming and intelligent wife, Joyce who was kind enough to marry him…once his dad paid her."

As they laughed together Tawny held up her hand to wave. "Hi! Sorry if I'm a little out of it. I grew up in a small farm town and have never been to California…it's been an overwhelming afternoon." None of it was a lie.

"Nice to meet you, Tawny." Robbie put his arms around his desperately-dieting wife who he knew would be self conscious around Tawny's perfect figure. "How much did Bev pay you to date Greg and let him call you his girlfriend?" he teased, getting back at his buddy.

"A million five," she replied without hesitation. "But now that I've seen the house, I think I should have held out for more."

Rob looked to his pal. "She has your sense of humor, Hoj."

"Her sense of humor is what immediately attracted me to her."

"Yes, indeed." Scott breezed into the kitchen with two bottles of wine. "Greg and Tawny really hit it off on their first date."

"Oh, where did you go on your first date?" Joyce asked making small talk. "I bet Vegas has a million interesting places."

Greg shot his father a look while answering, "The Bellagio. One day, when we get married, we're going to have our wedding there to commemorate it."

"The Bellagio…" Joyce smiled at her husband. "The neat hotel in Ocean's Eleven with the fountains." She turned back to the group. "We love that movie."

"That was a fantastic movie." Scott filled Rob and Joyce's wine glasses with the Merlot they had requested. "Those guys really knew how to pull the wool over someone's eyes and not get caught."

"We're back!" Bev cheerily announced as she entered the kitchen cuddling four month old Emma. "I think she's hungry because she keeps pawing my chest."

"Oh…" Tawny gravitated to the baby like a magnet to metal. "She's soooo precious. Look at those tiny pink fingers and those big blue eyes. Do you mind if I hold her, Joyce?"

"Not at all. You can even feed her dinner if you'd like."

"Uh…"

"I pumped into bottles before coming," Joyce said through a smile.

"Oh…okay." With nervous excitement Tawny accepted the adorable infant into her arms from Bev. "Wow…this feels so weird."

"Imagine if you had to hold two," Scott interjected, still reeling from the news and furious with his son. "Yeah…a woman who has twins better have a responsible husband who pitches in with all aspects of childcare."

"Twins…" Joyce shivered. "We can barely handle one, I can't imagine having two."

Anxious to get away from her smart ass husband Bev directed the ladies, "Let's feed Emma in the sitting room. I'll play the piano for her."

After sipping his wine Robbie said to Greg, "After you, I was the smartest guy in school but…I had no idea having a baby would be **so** hard. As much as we thought we prepared, we didn't know what hit us."

"Is that so, Robert?" Scott smiled behind his glass. "And refresh my memory…how long were you and Joyce together before deciding to start a family?"

Greg grabbed the bottle of wine from the counter and filled a glass to the rim.

"Let's see." Robbie leaned against the fridge. "We met sophomore year of college and dated until we finished grad school…so six years there. Then we were engaged a year and were probably married for about two before giving it a go. Luckily it only took six months because we have friends who have been trying for over a year with no luck."

"So **nine years **roughly." Scott placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Greg and Tawny have only been together a couple of months, so they have a lot of catching up to do, but you know my boy…he's an overachiever, I bet he'll have two kids before you do."

Setting down his empty wine glass Greg stepped away from his dad.

"Where are you living now, Robert?" Scott refilled his son's glass and moved to open the next bottle.

"We sold our townhome in Philly and bought this great house last year in the burbs…you know, we wanted to be settled before the baby arrived. Joyce went nuts decorating the nursery."

Taking a seat at the counter Greg snatched his filled glass and remained silent. He knew he shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach when he was already so emotional, not to mention it was against his therapist's orders.

"Buying a house and decorating it must have set you back," Scott commented while taking a seat next to his impetuous boy.

"Yeah, but we saved up and we were so excited about starting a family that we didn't mind indulging in anything." He laughed at the memory. "We were so giddy one night we even bought this two-hundred dollar lamp from Pottery Barn Kids. We **still **can't believe we did that!"

"I can't blame you. It's exciting to be able to provide for your offspring…it makes a man proud." Scott slapped his fuming son on the back. "I think it's tied to our prehistoric hunting roots."

"So, Hoj." Robbie leaned over the counter. "I was a little hurt to hear you mention future wedding plans with Tawny when you've never talked with me about her, but now that your dad said you've only been together a couple of months, I don't feel so bad. It must have been love at first sight for you two."

With the second glass of wine gone Greg stared at his friend. "After just ninety minutes we were destined to be together forever, man…and I couldn't be happier."

"She's only twenty-two," Scott blurted as he filled Greg's glass a third time; he knew if he got him tipsy he'd get the whole the truth. "That's a little young for marriage, don't you think?"

"Definitely." Robbie nodded. "Go for a long engagement, Buddy."

"Actually, she just turned twenty-two in June," Greg corrected his father. "So it's even worse than you think, Dad. But she's very mature for her age because she's been on her own since she was seventeen."

"Wow." Robbie was shocked. "At seventeen our moms were still making us after school snacks. What happened? Or if it's too personal…"

"You're my best friend, Roberto." Greg lifted his already half-empty third glass. "There's nothing I can't say in front of you. Tawny had a perfectly normal Midwestern life, her father was everybody's favorite math teacher at the local high school, her mom was a Sunday school instructor and Tawny was a straight-A student who won the title of Miss Cavanaugh County, which would have sent her to the Miss Kansas Teen pageant. Unfortunately, her dad suddenly died when Tawny was sixteen and her mother had a mental snap. About a year later, Tawny had to leave home because she was being sexually assaulted by her mom's scuzbag boyfriend."

"Whoa." Robbie poured another glass for himself.

"Yeah…" Greg stared down his father. "She left town with a guy who promised to take her to Hollywood and get her a modeling gig but he turned out to be an abusive asshole too and he left her high and dry in Vegas."

"Greg…." Scott softened his voice for the first time since the news broke. "I'm really stunned and angry, but I shouldn't have goaded you, okay? You don't need to…"

"No…no…I really do. You'll love this." He polished off his latest glass. "She tried a fast food stint but that wasn't paying the bills so, when offered a job as an exotic dancer she took it. One night when I was processing a case at her club, Tweeters, I met Tawny and fell in love with…**her body**. I lied to her to get a date and when I got one, I didn't take her to the Bellagio …no…I showed up at her place with a box of Krispy Kremes and ninety minutes later, before I even knew her last name, I got her pregnant…**with twins**. Happy, Dad! That's the brutally honest truth you crave. She was a stripper, I was a liar, and it was a booty call."

"Oh boy." Robbie's fingers raced through his hair and he gulped his wine. This wasn't the first time he'd witnessed Greg losing it in an argument with his father.

"And instead of being just another asshole in Tawny's life who screwed her over and left her high and dry, I stuck around…and when I did, I fell in love with her…" His voice cracking Greg said, "I fell in love with her just like she said…one morning after scraping up some teenage kid's brain matter for hours at the most brutal scene I ever processed, and taking photos of blood spatter left behind after a girl was brutally raped…I came home and curled up in a ball on my apartment floor sucking down beers. I knew I loved Tawny when she got me to stop crying, and managed to make me not want to drink myself into oblivion." Holding up his glass he barked, "Unlike **you**, who make me want to pour every bottle in the wine rack down my throat! I screwed up! I admit it! As always, you are absolutely right about everything! But would it kill you to notice that I'm doing my best to make things as good as they can be instead of running from my problems?"

"I only found out forty minutes ago, Greg…**by accident**," Scott snapped back. "How about **you **cut **me **some slack? I was in Vegas not too long ago and it's abundantly clear you were **lying** to my face about the pregnancy…not that I should be surprised because how many times have you done** that** over the years? Damn right I'm disappointed and pissed off at you."

Robbie attempted to play the peacemaker, as he had a few times in the past. "You both have a right to…"

"I'm working on that too, Dad! Here…would you like to call my therapist and verify? She's on speed dial because I'm so screwed up!" He grabbed his cell from his pocket and slammed it on the counter. "That's right, I'm in heavy-duty therapy. Her name is Dr. Myers and we talk about you a lot. Particularly how you're always riding me…"

"Well, if you were ever up front with me about things maybe I wouldn't be so stunned and pissed off when I find them out!"

"Maybe if you weren't so smug I'd feel comfortable telling you stuff!"

"Time out!" Robbie shouted above the yelling. "How many times have we been down this road? Hoj…you know you compulsively lie to your dad and, Mr. Sanders…no offense…but I know Greg doesn't feel comfortable coming to you because you're intimidating…and Hoj, you're not going to like this but…you find your dad intimidating because he usually is right and really does know what's best." When Greg lowered his head Robbie appealed to his friend's father. "It's hard having a dad who's always logical and responsible when you're a guy who thinks illogically and tries to be responsible but unintentionally messes up all the time. And, Mr. Sanders…again, with all due respect…you have to realize there's some self-fulfilling prophecy at play here. All these years, you've been accusing Greg of being a screw-up because of something he did when he was thirteen. I've known him since he was fourteen and he's not done anything that reckless since…until now."

A logical and reasonable man, Scott nodded. "You make a valid point, Robert."

"Thank you, Sir." Robbie changed to a soothing tone. "Just a suggestion …maybe it's time for both of you to clear the slate and start over…for the future babies, if for no other reason…although it would be nice if you'd do it for each other because frankly, enough is enough. I don't mean to sound preachy but this is what you get from a kid who went to therapy for a decade and had to deal with parents who actively expressed their hated for each other openly in front of him. Now that I'm an adult, I have little tolerance for circular arguments. Most importantly…you're family to me and I hate to see the two of you like this when I know you're both really great guys that are a lot more alike than you care to admit." Reaching over he popped his friend in the shoulder. "So, what do you say, Hoj? Wouldn't life be easier without the lies and cover-ups? And, Mr. Sanders…how about using that logic and wisdom proactively, instead of bashing him over the head with it after the fact?"

Looking up from his empty wine glass Greg said, "Are you sure you're not related to Dr. Myers, Buddy? She's been begging me to get my dad to fly out for a couple of sessions with me. Actually, now that I think about it, if this works out, she'll be pissed that she lost some bucks."

After a deep breath, Scott placed his left hand on Greg's shoulder and extended his right. "I'm willing if you're willing, Son, because Robert is right…we can't be doing this in front of the babies and even though I'm still seething and extremely disappointed that things are happening this way…" He swallowed his anger. "…there are a lot of things you did that I think I'll be very proud of, once I can think straight."

"Excellent," Robbie coached with a thumbs up. "Your turn, Hoj."

"Okay…fine. No matter how bad the news is…I'll tell you straight up." He shook his dad's hand. "And I'll tell you **before** you find out by accident. I swear, Dad…no more lies."

"Wow!" Joyce bubbled into the room to toss the baby's disposable bottle. "Tawny has been telling me all about her childhood as a member of an Amish farm family. It's fascinating!" After a quick kiss to her husband's cheek she zoomed back out of the room to hear more.

Greg caught his dad's eye. "Yeah…about the Amish farm family thing…"

**Trauma Center – Surgical Floor  
****Room 310  
****7:00 p.m. **

With no limit to the number of visitors in his new room, Nick found himself surrounded by family when all he wanted to do was rest and recover. Thankfully, now that the situation was no longer dire, they were all returning home, except his mother and brother.

After wishing him the best, he watched each of his sisters hug Carrie and say goodbye. Although his ordeal was hell and it wasn't over yet, he enjoyed seeing how close it brought his future wife to the family. It was clear they loved her like a sister and were far more receptive to her than they had been of Melissa in the beginning.

"Take care, Son." Judge Stokes gave a rare hug to his boy. "You need anything, you holler."

"Yes, Sir." Nick accepted the awkward affection. "Thanks for taking care of things for Carrie at work," he stated when the hug broke. His father had taken it upon himself to pay a visit to the DA, who just happened to be a fan of his.

"You know I don't make it a habit to use my position to acquire favors but the girl has been through so much, I didn't want her worrying about her career too." Judge Stokes adjusted his jacket and smiled, "Between you and me, Son…she can have as long of a sabbatical as she needs without concern. And really, it has more to do with her impressive credentials than my string pulling. Thank you for bringing such a wonderful woman into our family."

"My pleasure."

"Come along, Daddy," Kendra prodded. "Our van is waitin' on us."

When the room was empty except for Carrie, his mother and Andy, who had been sitting quietly in the corner the whole time trying desperately not to call attention to himself, Nick rejoiced, "Thank the Lord!" He tossed off the sheet. "I have to pee again and I never thought they'd leave. Move it out again, Bro and you're spending the night in that chair in case I need you."

Carrie plopped down in a chair next to Jillian. "I still can't believe Andy got you to finally pee by making it a pissing **contest**."

"Oh, I can." Jillian watched her wayward son help her little boy to his feet. "One time they had a contest to see whose fart was smellier. They tossed crickets in jars, filled them up with their gases, closed the lids, and then watched to see which one died first."

"I don't want to know who won."

Jillian laughed, "Sweetie…aren't they both losers for doing that?"

"Mama…" Nick scolded her while hobbling in his brother's arms towards the bathroom. "Are you trying to make her run screaming from the room?"

Andy laughed, "Since she lives with you I'm guessin' she already knows you snore, drool, and have smelly feet…if she's putting up with all that currently, I doubt your gaseous childhood history will turn her off."

Before disappearing behind the door he winked. "Promise me you'll be here when I get back, Darlin'."

**The Tempest  
****7:12 p.m. **

"It's about time!" Lindsay greeted her grandfather when he finally waltzed into his office at the hotel.

"I have six hotels and a home I shuffle between young lady…" Sam took a seat behind the impressive oak desk and loosened his tie. "…I was in the middle of something when I got the call saying you were here." Smiling he remarked, "You're looking more like your mother every time I see you."

"Ugh."

"And you have her personality too." Grabbing a cigar he leaned back.

"Do you have any idea what smoking does to your health?"

"It's too late for me, Sweetheart…" Lighting up, he laughed. "…save yourself."

"I am." Reaching out she snatched the stogie and snuffed it out. "Second hand smoke kills kids."

"Good one." He reached for a bottle of Bourbon instead. "This poison doesn't have a second hand. So, why exactly are you here, kid?"

"I've got a beef with you."

He choked on his sip. "You sound like a gangsta."

"Celine Campbell of the Royale Hotel and Casino Campbells just booted me out of her limo when she found out I was related to you. She said her dad hates you and she can't be my friend. She was the only non-geek friend I've made at my new school!"

"That little bitch!" He raised his hand. "Pardon my French. You don't want to be hanging out with trash like her anyway."

"I agree with you there, she's got slut written all over her…but you're missing the point, Grandaddy-O."

"Which is?" He rocked lightly in his well appointed brown leather chair.

"Your competitor's daughter is riding in style, packing credit cards and wanting for nothing, meanwhile…your granddaughter is slumming it **without **a Kate Spade purse, plastic with her name on it, limo rides, or bling…heck, without even a cell phone of her own." She tapped the desk. "When Celine tells her dad how pathetic I am…you're gonna look like a fool."

"Sweetheart…we don't need a fancy DNA test to prove you've got my blood coursing through your veins." With his index finger he pressed the intercom button. "Sally…get in here. My granddaughter needs a few things."

**The Melting Pot  
****7:17 p.m. **

"What should we get Greg and Tawny as an engagement present?" Sara asked her husband while he refilled her glass with faux-bubbly.

"A year's supply of medication to suppress their manic tendencies?" When he saw his wife's scolding expression he added, "…or a toaster."

"I think Tawny will calm down significantly once the ring is on her finger, because being pregnant with twins, without a formal commitment, when you're with someone as erratic as Greg has to be terrifying. Especially when you factor in that she's been **abandoned** in the past." Her tone shifting towards cool she commented, "But I suppose you'll say that's just me being empathic."

"Sorry for the bad joke." Gil reached out for his wife's hand. "I agree with your assessment and think we'll see a whole new Tawny once she feels her future is secure."

"Much better." Sara clinked her glass to his. "Your old, impersonal ways have been peeking through a little more frequently lately."

"I was waiting for the lecture on how I treated Carrie." Suddenly he wished the champagne wasn't virginal. "If Hodges finds valuable trace evidence on that card you may regret going hard on me…keep that in mind. And Sara…she's a prosecuting attorney for crying out loud, she should know better, regardless of the circumstances. There's a time and place for emotion and when dealing with criminal evidence there's no room for emotion. You've…"

"Say it." She smiled at him brightly.

"You've found that concept challenging under certain circumstances."

"And so have you. We all have our triggers." Slipping closer she whispered, "And while yours is a much shorter list than mine, there have been times when you've gotten emotional about criminal evidence."

"But I never suppressed evidence or obstructed a case," he was quick to clarify. "The few times I've gotten emotional it was me pushing to** find** evidence and **get to the truth**. Carrie was **hiding** evidence and attempting to **cover up the truth**. If she's willing to do it once, Sara..."

"It was personal."

"It casts a shadow of doubt on her professional credibility because, now we know she believes that covering up evidence is acceptable under certain circumstances…it doesn't matter what the circumstances are. As a prosecutor she should never believe that's acceptable." Tilting his head he remarked, "As a Criminalist you shouldn't either." He left his brow raised.

"That's an interesting statement…" Boring her eyes into his she whispered, "…coming from a Criminalist who illegally taped a prison inmate because he was concerned about his wife."

"Maybe you should work for the DA's office."

"Maybe you should admit that you're not as black and white as you once were." In his ear she whispered, "Love changes even the strongest of men with the greatest resolve."

"And look how many of them fell on their swords because of it…which was ironically the message in the card that Carrie hid." Gil blew a heavy sigh. "Alas, my Dear…you've pointed out a chink in my armor."

"No worries." Nipping at his lobe she lightened her tone. "Those fallen men weren't as smart as you."

"And Sara…" Cupping her cheek with his palm he spoke from the heart. "…no woman in history has been worth a man risking a fall as much as you."

"This coming from the man who turned me down twice because he didn't think it was worth the risk?"

"I'm smart, but I was a slow learner."

Picking up a leftover bread cube, Sara tossed it in the fondue pot. "Oops! You know the house rules…if a piece falls into the pot, the couple has to kiss."

"He said if it fell off the fork."

"You can sue me for my malpractice later," she quipped before stealing a kiss.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

To those looking forward to the reveal to Greg's dad, I hope you found it satisfying. There's a lot more to come with Greg and his parental relationships. Times…they are a changing! Look for Tawny to be his anchor and really she's got what it takes to be his wife.

In regards toNick and Andy, I want you to know that while I test out a lot of things for the story to see if they really work, I did **NOT** test out the 'cricket in a jar of farts' one LOL!

Gil and Sara have come a long way from being two people who tiptoe around each other. Gil used to have restaurant meetings like this with Cath to figure out Sara, now he just has them with Sara and speaks what's on his mind and so does she. More fondue and other fun in the next chapter.

Lindsay and her Grandaddy-O make a dangerous pair LOL…Cath is in store for some surprises.

A note on money/financial help/hand outs/Dutch Uncles, since two people have brought it up. Like a lot of other elements in my stories, don't expect all that financial stuff just to play at surface value or be the answer to someone's prayers. There's always a little more to the story and money (how it's handled, what it's used for) is a theme in the story now. It can change people, cause people to disagree, help people, hurt people, etc... And in chapter 19 you'll learn that Greg isn't as rich as you think...remember all those times Grissom chided, "Greg! You're supposed to be saving your money!" Oops.

**Please note:** I did a little tweaking after KJT left on vacation so if there are typos it's all me, not her. She HATES that! (Not that I blame her! LOL)

**Next Chapter:** Greg gets some practice being a good husband and father while his dad looks on…On a break from helping his brother to the bathroom, Andy gets a surprise phone call…Mike Rodgers gets some news too…Wendy takes turns counseling her boys…Cath gets a lecture on parenting from an unlikely source …Gil and Sara continue their celebration. **Posting:** Friday night

**Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, **

**Maggs**


	17. Chapter 17

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT  
**

**Chapter 17**

**August 31, 2005  
****The Sanders Home  
****7:25 p.m. **

Bev had no idea how peace was achieved but when the men and women reunited in the living room, Greg and Scott were no longer shooting daggers at each other. And since her husband wasn't shooting any at her, she also knew Greg hadn't told Scott about her prior knowledge of the pregnancy.

"Would you let Greg hold Emma?" Tawny asked in a hopeful tone. "I want to test him out because I can't wait to have one or two of my own one day, and I need to make sure he has the right stuff."

In his pal's ear Robbie teasingly whispered, "It would seem you have more than enough of the right stuff, my friend."

"Uh…Joyce." Greg stepped forward. "I feel badly because you're the only one not in the know. Well…Tawny doesn't know that Robbie knows yet."

"You told him?" Tawny said with surprise because they had agreed to keep it a secret until they were engaged. "Greg…"

"Sorry, Sweetie…it slipped out when we were in the kitchen. Don't worry, they won't tell anyone." Taking his half-fiancée's hand he kissed it. "Joyce…I need the practice because Tawny's almost three months pregnant."

"Awww…congratulations. I had my suspicions when she asked a million questions." While masking her skepticism that Greg was ready to be a father, she directed, "Why don't you have a seat and I'll put her in your arms."

"She's the most agreeable little baby in the world," Tawny encouraged. "She's gonna love you, Sweetie."

"Uh…okay." He plopped on the couch.

"Like this." Bev fixed her son's arms. "And try to relax or she'll sense your tension." As soon as Emma was in her son's arms Bev's eyes welled. "I can't wait to be a grandma. Ever since Greg and Tawny broke the news to me, it's all I can think about."

With wide eyes Greg watched the gurgling infant he was cradling. "She really is cute." Taking one of her tiny hands he sweetly said, "Hey there, little one." When she didn't shriek he relaxed a little more. "I can't believe how small she is at four months; a newborn must be really scary to hold."

"And since you're having twins they'll probably be a little smaller than average," Robbie said while trying not to laugh at his buddy's discomfort. "Probably seven pounds tops."

Scott stood at the fireplace trying to cope with the surreal image before his eyes. His son looked as comfortable holding the baby as he would nitroglycerin and Tawny was sweating watching him squirm. "You're a natural, Greg," he encouraged, trying to make up for being so hard on him earlier. The more he thought about the pressure his son had been under in the last month, the guiltier he felt. "With a little practice, I'm sure you're going to make a great father." He could tell by his wife's expression that while she knew he was stretching the truth, she appreciated the effort.

"I don't know, Dad. Uh oh…she's making weird faces at me." Greg's brows knitted in unison with Emma's. "Yep…she hates me." Frantic, he glanced up at Tawny. "See…they all hate me. Why do they hate me? I'm nice guy. On second thought…that's probably the reason. I've only held **girl **babies and everyone knows girls don't like sensitive guys. Do you think that's it?"

Before anyone could answer the ridiculous question, Emma passed gas.

Tawny was never so happy to hear a fart in her life. "Would you stop panicking…it was just a tummy ache."

When the baby cooed, Bev patted her son's shoulder. "See…she's happy again. Try bouncing her gently."

"Oh…okay." Greg relaxed against the back of the couch. "Yeah…I think she likes this." When his smile returned, he flashed it at Tawny. "Coming home from work and doing this instead of playing X-box or watching TV will be fun, huh?"

His son's latest comment drove Scott to lift his wine glass and gulp.

"Speaking of TV…" Joyce reached into the baby bag. "Robbie insisted I pack my birth video to show Greg since he's also into science and gore, but now that we know you're having a baby, Tawny, I bet you'd love to see it!"

"Oh how cool!" Tawny took a seat on the couch next to Greg. "I watch Birth Stories on TV all the time but this will be so much better because I'll actually know the people on the TV. Well…I guess I don't really know you since it's only been ninety minutes."

Scott bit down on his fist to stifle the smart-ass reply.

"I know what you're thinking, Dad," Greg droned while gently bouncing Emma. "Hey…she's farting up a storm now…and her face is turning red."

"That's not farting, that's pooping," Bev explained "…and I would love to see you change her diaper."

"I've done that!" Greg proudly enthused. "Carrie's niece Ashley's when Tawny and I babysat…and I did great. But she's a much older baby. I've never tried on one of these little ones."

"Yeah…" Tawny rolled her eyes. "He did great with Ashley …until he dropped her trying to put her back in the crib."

"I'll change Emma's diaper!" Joyce retrieved her infant. "Don't worry, I'll give her back to you afterwards, Greg."

"I'll show you where to go, Honey." Bev led the way.

"Here we are." With the remote in hand, Robbie cued up the tape. "Right to the exciting part." Immediately after clicking play, Joyce's blood curdling screams blasted from the plasma TV's surround-sound speakers. "She opted to go completely natural. Although around hour eighteen she almost relented and asked for an epidural. If it were me I would have taken anything they gave me."

When the camera focused on Joyce's bloody crotch Tawny gasped.

Being a medical professional, Robbie calmly explained, "That's Emma's head full of hair you see bulging at the vaginal opening. It looks a lot darker than it does now because of the all the blood and fluids."

Tawny clamped her legs together and grabbed Greg's arm. Every horror movie combined wouldn't have terrified her as much as the image on the sixty inch screen. "Do you see how big…and remember how the ER doctor said I'm small inside…Oh!"

"And you're going to have to do it **twice**," Greg mindlessly blurted right before Joyce's loudest shriek of intense pain.

"Oh my God!" Tawny used her free hand to half-cover her eyes.

"Keep watching…" Robbie pointed to the screen. "You'll see her naturally tear ever so slightly. I'd highly recommend it over an episiotomy if you have a good chance to stretch, Tawny. If it's a rapid birth though, you're better off having them slice you."

Watching his son and future daughter-in-law cling to each other in horror on the couch, Scott said, "Making them is the easy part, kids…everything else is work. Just think about it, Greg…you're thirty and you still stress me out."

"Oh!" Tawny pointed to the screen. "What's that!"

"Forceps," Robbie nonchalantly replied. "If the baby is lodged in..." Before he could finish Tawny was dashing from the room.

"Excuse us…" Greg, remembering his mother's advice to always chase your woman if she bolts from the room, took off after her.

"Look at the time," Scott remarked after watching baby Emma gush out on the widescreen. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I'm going to fire up the grill."

**The Melting Pot  
****7:40 p.m.**

While waiting for their pot of Flaming Turtle chocolate fondue to heat, Sara and Gil snuggled up in the booth creating a little warmth of their own.

"Okay…" Sara giggled as if the sparkling cider had gotten her tipsy. "Tomorrow will be September 1st and a year ago September 1st, do you know what I was doing?"

"Cursing me out under your breath for not acknowledging my feelings for you?"

"Excellent guess since I used to do that frequently back in the old BGWU days."

"BGWU?"

"Before Gil wised up."

"Of course." Chuckling, he leaned over to stir the concoction of milk chocolate, caramel and pecans.

"I was at the Humane Society considering adoption."

"How do you remember the exact day?"

Lowering her glass of fake bubbly she laughed at herself. "September 1st, 2004 was one of my deadlines…lucky for you I never stuck to them. Here's what happened…I didn't want to be alone on my birthday so I said, if Grissom doesn't give me a definite sign by September 1st then I'm adopting an abandoned pet and the two of us will hang together on my birthday."

"That's so…"

"…freaking pathetic."

"Well…" Spearing a strawberry he smiled. "On my 2004 birthday I hung out at home with my bugs so…" Handing her the forked fruit he asked, "I assume you changed your mind about adopting…or the pet died before you left for Tahoe a couple of weeks later because there wasn't a pet around then."

"I couldn't get a dog because of my work schedule," she explained while swirling the strawberry in the chocolaty goodness. "So, I was going to get a cat, but suddenly I thought…what if Grissom wises up tomorrow and now I have a cat and what if he doesn't like cats and it's a deal breaker?" After popping the coated berry in her husband's mouth she said, "Do you see the pathetic place I was in this time last year? I was planning for a future without you, while worrying the plans I was making would ruin a future with you…even though I doubted we had one together. Now here I sit a year later in a romantic restaurant with you, wearing the two rings you gave me and carrying your child."

"You've come a long way, Baby." He fed her a chocolate dipped banana. "This time next year we'll have a four month old baby in tow when we go out to celebrate you not adopting a cat."

"Do you think we should have a pet for our child?"

"What do you mean?" His brows knitted. "We have a whole room of pets."

"I mean a warm-blooded creature."

"Why?"

"Because our kid can't go to school and say I have a pet cockroach when all the other kids are talking about kitties, retrievers and goldfish."

"I did."

"Uh huh." She shoved a berry in his mouth. "My point exactly. As two misfit geeks, I think it's our duty to make sure our offspring have the best chance possible of fitting in so he or she isn't a social outcast."

**The Blakes  
****7:48 p.m. **

Stepping into Ryan's bedroom, Wendy saw her newly studious son with his face buried in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. "What chapter are you on, Honey?"

"I just started three. It's called _The Letters from No One_. I don't think I'll have a problem making it through five before I visit Uncle Nick tomorrow." Lowering his book for a second he said, "Hey, Mom…thanks for not locking me in a cupboard even when I did really bad things."

"I assume that has something to do with the book and isn't just a random thought." She took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Harry's parents died in a car crash and he had to go live with his really mean Aunt and Uncle and they keep him locked in a cupboard under the stairs."

"That's horrible." Wendy took the book and stared at the cover. "I hope he gets out by the end of chapter five so you don't have nightmares."

"Mom…if something were to happen to you and Dad..." His voice cracking he asked, "Who would we live with?"

Seeing the fear in her boy's eyes Wendy snuggled up. "It used to be grandpa, but your dad and I spoke about it with Nick and Carrie after they got engaged. We asked if we could name them as your guardians. When they agreed, we amended our will."

"Okay…that's good." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Uncle Nick would never lock us in a cupboard because he's claustrophobic and no offense to Grandpa…I love him a lot but, he's kind of old and I'm not sure he could keep up with us."

"That's what we were thinking too." She kissed his forehead. "But don't worry, Honey, we plan to stick around." She handed the book back. "Did your brother say if anything bad happened at school today? It's hard with you not being there with him…I don't have anyone to report back to me. He barely touched his dinner and he looked more pensive than normal."

"It's girl trouble, Mom." Moving past the sad topic of parental death, Ryan broke out into a huge grin. "He told me earlier that he finally understands why I like looking at boobs and then he asked me what he should do to make girls like him more."

"Ryan!" Wendy shielded her ears while laughing. "Please refrain from using the 'B word' in my presence and you shouldn't be looking at them all the time either."

"Sorry…but why did God give women **B's** if we weren't supposed to look at them?"

"For a very practical reason…to make milk for babies!"

"Then why not make them all a standard size and less noticeable? What's with the variety? After all…hands are practical and they're standard." Crashing back against the sheets with his book Ryan said, "I mean why would he make Aunt Carrie's **so **small but Tawny's **so** big?"

Standing up she laughingly informed him, "Those aren't the B's that God gave Tawny. She traded in her God given B's for ones made in Taiwan and then had them installed in Vegas."

**The Sanders Home  
****7:55 p.m. **

"Tawny!" Greg hustled into the backyard. "Wait up!" She was heading down the cobblestone path at a breakneck pace.

"On those stupid TV shows it never looks like that! They must use special lighting or something to make it look less terrifying." Clutching her head she struggled to catch her breath. "Your dad is right. We have been talking about all this baby stuff like it's a fairy tale. It's not a fairy tale, Greg! It's a nightmare! Did you see all that blood and ooze pouring everywhere and oh my god…the size of that baby's head!" Pointing to her groin she yelled, "You've been down there enough to know, I'm small. If I can feel you slipping **in** there, I can't imagine what a seven pound baby feels like slipping **out**. Oh my god!"

"Princess…nature takes over and makes it bigger when it's time, that's why there's so much pain, because the area is…"

"Hello!" She shoved him hard. "**Pain** is exactly what I'm worried about! **Twice **the pain!" Shaking she tried to verbalize her confusion. "I can't explain it. I mean, I knew all of this in theory…and I've seen stuff on TV…but that! **That** was baby delivery uncensored! They don't show** tearing** on TV, Greg! Did you **hear** Joyce screaming! That was like Freddy Kruger slicing you into bits with his knife fingers kind of yelling! Which makes sense because that's exactly what Freddy is doing…**tearing** people apart. And I have to tear **twice**!"

"I think tearing once will let both babies pass…um…" Grabbing her hands he calmly said, "If you have an epidural you won't feel it, Sweetie. Joyce…she's a pain junkie…a freak. You don't have to do it naturally. You'll just get numbed up and watch the baby glide right out without any discomfort. You won't even know it happened until you hear the baby cry."

"How does an epidural work exactly?" she asked while clutching Greg's hands.

"They use a needle to insert a catheter near the membranes surrounding your spinal cord so…."

"A **needle** in **my spine**!" Her hands left Greg's to grip her throbbing head.

"Um…since you're having twins and you're built extra small, there's a chance you may need a c-section so…" He realized that was a bad thing to say when Tawny shrieked.

"I'm scared to death of being cut open! Seeing Nick in the hospital totally freaked me out!" Heading for hysteria she shrieked, "Your dad was right…how could you do this to me, Greg!"

"Pardon me for butting in, but I couldn't help hear you," Bev stated as she hurried over holding baby Emma. She was certain the neighbors heard everything too. "Tawny…Honey…look at the baby. This is why it's all worth it. Yes, you'll be uncomfortable during the pregnancy...some days you'll be miserable…and labor will be nasty no matter which way it happens, but…" Placing the cooing infant in Tawny's arms Bev whispered, "The second they hand over the babies, you'll forget everything except them."

When Scott joined them he asked Greg, "Is everything alright?"

"I think so." Stepping next to his future wife Greg smoothed his palm over her back. "Deep breaths, Sweetie. I promise I'll be with you the whole time you're in labor and you can squeeze my hand until it breaks if you need to. Take a few more deep breaths…"

"He'll make a good labor coach," Bev remarked while resting in her husband's arms. "At least as good as you…I never would have made it through without you."

Scott clutched his wife tight, knowing she was remembering their first delivery room experience and the horror of finding out their baby girl was stillborn. "I love you, Honey," he whispered while brushing a kiss over her cheek.

Her breathing slowing, Tawny smiled at the baby. "I'm really sorry for the drama. I'm still a little on edge from before and..."

"No explanation necessary," Scott chuckled. "That movie was horrifying and our TV screen is huge. Also, we should have warned you…Robbie has always had a penchant for science gore."

"We won't be videoing in that kind of detail, and unless I'm fully clothed, whatever we tape will be only for our viewing pleasure," Tawny warned her man. "It may be a novelty for Joyce but…I've shown my body to plenty of strangers and I'm done."

"Don't worry…" Slipping his arm around her waist Greg said, "I'll be shaking so badly there's no way I'll be able to hold a camera steady. As a matter of fact, I think I'll invest in a tripod." When Tawny turned to smile at him, he stole a kiss.

"Have you thought of names?" Scott inquired, feeling microscopically excited about the news for the first time.

"If we have one of each…Dylan Hojem Sanders and Haleigh Ann Sanders," Tawny answered while gazing into Greg's loving eyes. Suddenly the world seemed right again and she couldn't wait for the babies to arrive.

"Aidan Hojem Sanders and Heidi Lynn Sanders are the backups in case we get two of the same." Greg laughed with Tawny then said, "I want two girls because I'm not up for the father and son drama, but she wants one of each."

"I like the names," Scott commented, a bit surprised that they were so normal. "Greg, I was certain you would insist on Prince or that stupid symbol he changed his name to." He hoped the joke would be appreciated as a sign of forging past the earlier drama. The shock was wearing off steadily now, and he was ready to move on to the coping stage.

"Uh…my kids aren't going to be freaks," Tawny assured him. "My dad was all about balance and I want to parent the same way."

"Yeah...and I want my kids to have an easy time fitting in at school," Greg said. "So, if we have a boy, don't worry, Dad...I won't be putting eyeliner on him and dressing him in puffy shirts." Then he stared down his mother. "Nor will he be forced to dress up like Pat Boone and sing on the steps of City Hall at Christmas when he's four."

"Understood." Bev nodded. "But I insist on buying them musical instruments to fuel their passion. Music wires the brain for mathematic excellence so Tawny, you should approve of that."

Snuggling the baby she nodded. "Definitely."

"Ooh! How about didgeridoos?" Greg suggested. "Because I don't want my kids to be** so** normal that they're boring. But I guess they're kinda big for…"

"No!" Bev was thrilled. "I just saw them in a magazine scaled down to toddler size!"

When he saw Tawny tense Scott felt compelled to comfort her. "Don't worry, Honey…you and I will work together to ensure normalcy."

"We're baaaaack!" Robbie called as he approached holding the two bottles of sparkling cider they had just purchased from the corner market. "Time to celebrate!"

**The Melting Pot  
****8:12 p.m. **

After planting a kiss on her husband's lips Sara said, "Thank you for the celebration dinner. It was a lovely respite from all the drama surrounding us lately."

"My pleasure," Gil stated through a smile. "And now I'm really going to try and impress you…I have a Presidential Suite at the Mandalay Bay."

"Wow…you must be a real high roller, Stud."

"Thanks for dining with us at The Melting Pot," Dante announced while returning the bill portfolio. "And the great tip."

"You deserved it," Sara assured him. "And good luck on your audition at The Tempest tomorrow."

**Catherine's House**

**8:15 p.m.**

"She was at The Tempest!" Catherine yelled into the cordless phone at her father. "Why!"

"On the way home, her so-called friend kicked her out of her limo right in the middle of The Strip."

Since Warrick was still dozing, Catherine left the bedroom to finish the conversation. "She told me Celine was a scholarship student, how the hell could she have a limo?"

After he was done laughing Sam filled in the blanks. "She snowed ya, Mugs. Celine Campbell is the daughter of Bruce Campbell…the owner of the Royale…and one of Vegas's biggest assholes. Don't you check to make sure Lindsay is telling the truth?"

"**You **are telling **me **how to parent? Now I know I'm in the Twilight Zone." Checking her watch she asked, "You have your driver bringing her right now?"

"Yeah…we had some dinner and a nice talk about boys…how she shouldn't trust 'em because all teenage boys think about is getting into the pants of teenage girls."

Stunned she shouted into the phone, "You had a sex talk with my daughter!"

"No, I had one with my granddaughter who spent the afternoon hanging out with a corruptive slut because you weren't screening her friends more carefully. And it's not like I was lying, Mugs…men are pigs! I should know, I've spent plenty of time rolling around in the mud. The sooner Lindsay realizes that, the better you'll sleep at night."

"Not all men are pigs, Dad."

"You mean the guy you're shacking up with isn't a pig?"

"We're not just shacking up." With her palm around her tense neck muscles she gave them a squeeze. "And no, he's not a pig."

"Then why isn't he making an honest woman of you?"

The archaic phrase incited her to laugh. "Are you kidding? Eddie put a ring on my finger but repeatedly lied and cheated on me. You slept with my mother and created me while betraying your wife. So, forgive me if I don't equate marriage with honesty."

**University Trauma Center  
****Room 310  
****8:50 p.m. **

Jillian had been having a heart to heart with Andy regarding his ruined marriage for the last half hour when Nick's nurse entered the room. "Uh oh."

Hal immediately noticed his patient was sound asleep with his fiancée in the bed, who was also out cold.

"They really needed a snuggle," Jillian informed the nurse. "They were innocently reading Harry Potter when they nodded off. Between his Percocet, her Valium, and all the stress they've been under, I'd say they'll be out for a while. I can have Andy move Carrie to a chair if…"

"It's alright. She isn't near his incision," Hal replied while changing out Nick's IV bag. "Plus, I believe in the restorative power of human touch."

Andy glanced at his mother. Having just told her how Lissa's refusal to touch him or be touched had frustrated him to an extreme, he found the timing of Hal's comment interesting.

Once the nurse left the room Jillian grabbed her purse and stood. "I think I left you with enough to ponder for the night, Andrew and I need to get some sleep myself."

"I promised Nicky I'd sleep here in a chair," Andy told his mother. "In case he has to use the bathroom."

"By tomorrow he should be strong enough to do it on his own."

"Well, after being shunned by family and divorced by my wife, it feels nice to be needed, even if it's only to help my brother take a leak."

"Hmm…I suppose so."

Looking up at his mother Andy said, "Thanks for the talk."

"You should have come to me a year ago."

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty." He slouched further in the chair. "Everything you said seems so obvious now. Now that I've hit rock bottom and I'm not worried about preserving image. There's nothing left to preserve…my reputation in this family is decimated and I couldn't appear more weak or out of control of my life. Seems rather silly that I was concerned about how Lissa looked on my arm, huh?"

"Amen, Son." Jillian was pleased with the sincerity in his voice. "Too bad your epiphany came too late and at such a high price."

"Yeah…I shouldn't have harped on her about getting back in shape…if I hadn't maybe she would have let me help her instead of pulling even further away. It wasn't just for me, I knew it was bugging her too…I saw her weighing herself a hundred times a day and crying when she couldn't wear her old things. For the first time in her life she believed she wasn't the hottest woman in the room and it was tearing her up."

"So you thought if you applied a little of that same smart ass philosophy you used to get your brother down to eight percent body fat it would help matters." Jillian's sigh filled the room. "Dear Lord, Andrew…have you not heard that men are from Mars and women are from Venus?" Heading for the door she groaned, "I need a break, we'll talk more tomorrow."

"Night, Mama." His eyes returned to the TV and just as he was about to change the channel his cell phone vibrated. When he saw it was his soon-to-be ex-wife he answered in a low voice, "Hey…are the kids okay?" He hadn't expected to hear from her again until Friday.

"It's Cassie. To start letting her down easy, I told her there was a chance you might not be home this weekend. She's heartbroken at the thought of you not being at the party Saturday afternoon. I only got her to sleep a bit ago. I…I know I said I didn't want to see you but…I really think we need to slap smiles on our face and take her to the party on Saturday. You can fly in and fly out sayin' you just came home for the party because you know it means so much to her."

Taking a chance he asked, "Would it be alright if I flew in Friday afternoon, spent some time with the kids and then fly out Sunday after supper? Then it would be pretty much like always and the kids wouldn't notice a change in routine. I promise to stay away from you as much as I can without raising their suspicion." He waited in silence while she contemplated. "Lissa? Are you crying?"

"All I've been doin' is cryin'. We've ruined our kids' lives and I'm sick over it. You don't know what it will be like for them because you grew up in Nirvana with happy parents. I know what it's like to live in a broken home and that's exactly why my heart is breaking for them."

"We're not going to do things like your parents, Lissa. We agreed to that last night. And history tells the story…in all this time you've hated me, you've never said a disparaging thing about me in front of the kids. You're not your mother…you'd never put them in the middle and neither would I."

"My mother's on your side. For all I know she'll testify in court that I was an unfit wife and will be an unfit mother."

"Huh? First off, you know I'd never take the kids from you. What made you say that about your mother?"

Sniffling into the phone she said, "She told me if I had stopped stuffing my face that I'd still have a husband…that you were the best thing that ever happened to me and I never deserved you. She also said she can't blame you for jumping into another woman's arms because cows belong in barns, not bedrooms…that you've managed to take care of yourself even though you're busting your ass providing for your family and you deserve a beautiful woman on your arm, not me. She advised me to eat lettuce and water for a month and beg you to take me back. It reminded me of all those other pep talks she used to give me. Like at my eighth birthday party when I wasn't allowed to eat my own cake because I had a photo shoot the next day and I'd look fat." Her voice turning icy she snipped, "See, you're like-thinkers…that's why she's on your side."

"Lissa…I just had a long talk with my mother about this." Rubbing his palm over his face he confessed, "I realize I handled everything wrong but, in my own shitty way, I was trying to help you. You know you were hating on yourself long before I said a word. And now…here's the thing…my mother, my sister, Nicky and his fiancée have all pointed something out to me that I think you need to know too…you're not fat. Have you checked the weight range for a woman who is five eleven? My sister Barbara said your old weight was dangerous…she's amazed you managed to get pregnant with such a low body fat percentage. The problem was never your weight, Lissa…it was our warped sense of perception."

"So y'all have been sittin' around discuss my extra pounds, huh? Lovely."

"Lis…stop…don't listen to your mother, she's always messin' with your head."

"She's right about some of it."

"Honey…" The pain in her voice tore at his already raw guilty conscious. "My family, every one of them, said you looked fantastic…beautiful and stylish, but more importantly…the healthiest they'd ever seen you. If I could go back, instead of making smart ass remarks to you like you were my kid brother, instead of my wife…I would have helped you get comfortable in your skin. Hell, I'm a gym rat, I should have worked with you to show you how to tone. You've been a pile of bones your whole life, of course you felt like a fish out of water with some meat on you. With the money I make I could have hired you the best nutritionist and trainer in the country. I should have gotten us into therapy. I should have…hell, there were a lot of things I **should have** done but, the bottom line is…" After a labored breath in and out he forged on. "I'm really sorry I let you down, Lissa…I truly am. And even though you told me to find another woman…I realize now you never expected me to follow through. When you said that, I should have recognized it for what it was…a wake up call…but I failed you again and took it as a permission slip to party."

"I shouldn't have said it to you if I didn't…"

Swallowing hard he told her, "I didn't sleep with anyone that night…I intended to, but it would have gone against everything I was taught and I couldn't go through with it." Hearing her cry though the line he whispered, "When I came back the next morning, and you assumed I had cheated and said you didn't care…somethin' inside me snapped. That afternoon I went back out and followed through. After the first time, it got easier because I really believed you didn't care and that it wasn't hurting you. Hell, I even convinced myself I was being a good husband to you since I was still giving you the things you said were important...money, a big house, an expensive car…"

"Falling into bed with someone is one thing, but hiring Tawny to…"

"I know…believe me I couldn't be more shamed. I was tired of playing the field," he remorsefully explained. "I figured if this was the way things were going to be for the rest of my life then I should find something permanent and discreet. It sounds much more asinine when said out loud than when I developed the idea in my mind…you should have seen the look on my mother's face when I said it to her." Holding his forehead he embarrassedly admitted, "My thinking was so warped I even convinced myself that I would be helping Tawny, because if I set her up, she wouldn't have to take her clothes off for a living anymore…yeah….except for me of course. Like I said…it's all asinine in retrospect. I'm not looking for forgiveness. I wanted to tell you everything because you deserve the truth from me for a change."

"It hurts…but I appreciate the honesty. If we had talked like this…"

"I know." He closed his eyes. "We never should have left Dallas. I think being away from my roots and my family…I don't know. What I do know is…you are a beautiful woman, Lissa and I want you healthy for the kids and for you…and for the lucky man who sweeps you off your feet one day soon now that you're free of me…because you deserve to be happy. And the next time your Mama gives you shit, you tell her that you're not gonna starve yourself or beg me for anything, because I'm a dog who you should have kicked to the curb six months ago and you're far too good for me. I'll tell her myself if you want me to because..."

"I have to go," she managed to eek.

"Okay." At the click he glanced over at Nick peacefully sleeping with Carrie in his arms. His little brother who he always picked on for not living up to his potential now had an incredible woman who loved him, a ton of money, and the job of his dreams, while in the last forty eight hours he had lost all of those things. "I always made fun of you for believing in karma, Nicky." Drew unfurled the blanket given to him earlier and settled into the uncomfortable chair. "Now that it's bitten me firmly in the ass…I believe in it too."

**The Sanders Home  
****9:08 p.m. **

With baby Emma asleep in the Pack-n-Play nearby, everyone lounged on the comfy loveseats around the outdoor firepit, chatting.

Having finally purged the horrific childbirth visions from her brain, Tawny's mind was now occupied with different terrifying images…Greg's near-death experience courtesy of Tucker Mifflin. And while she always put a brave face forward for Greg's sake, the stress of the ordeal still reverberated every time it was mentioned. And now Robbie, Joyce and Scott were asking endless questions while she knew it wasn't a good idea for Greg to talk about the nightmare-inducing ordeal so close to bedtime. "Sorry…what was the question?" she asked when Greg whispered, _Joyce is talking to you_.

"I said you must have been terrified waiting for word on Greg."

Fronting, she replied, "I knew he'd figure a way out of it because he's so smart and there was no way he was going to leave the babies and me behind. We had just found out the night before that we were having twins." She snuggled a little closer. "He's so good at what he does. He cracked that case and now Tucker Mifflin will be in prison for the rest of his life and the little girl's family has some closure because her killer was caught. I'm really proud of him."

Grinning, Greg pulled her closer still, appreciating how hard she was trying to make him look good in front of this dad and his successful and responsible best friend. "Anyway, drama like that is a rare exception. Most of the time, I'm just sorting through trash, taking pictures of stuff, processing boring stuff, and writing reports. But it's much better than being stuck in the DNA lab doing the same exact thing every day, day after day."

"Greg…" Scott waited for his son to look at him and see his approving smile. "Did you tell Robbie about your paper being published?"

"Not yet. But, since he speaks science geek, I brought a copy for him."

"Great." Robbie raised his glass. "I'm sure it's just the first of many papers by Greg Sanders, Master Chemist and CSI. What is it about?"

Scott raised his wine glass along with Robbie. "DNA technology used to solve cold cases. It was from his work on the Mike Rodgers trial. I know he told you about that guy at Christmas."

Shaking his head Greg informed him. "Yeah…him…Rodgers is still causing trouble. Now he's harassing Nick, Gris and Sara from behind bars and getting away with it…so far. The scary thing is, he has nothing but time to think of ways to needle them."

"How often do the people you catch take revenge on CSIs?" Joyce asked while thanking God for the tenth time that her husband chose to work safely as a Physician's Assistant.

"It's not common at all," he assured his mother and Tawny who were tensing. "No…Mike Rodgers is a one of a kind psycho."

**Ely State Prison  
****9:17 p.m. **

When Corrections Officer Vic Ramos approached Mike's cell he smiled. "I come bearing news."

Mike nonchalantly lowered his Bible and glanced toward the bars.

"You've been hired."

"The law clerk gig in the library?" He sat up grinning. "Is my new lawyer the best or what? I was never one to have feelings for guys, but my lawyer…damn…if he wanted my ass, instead of cracking open his skull…" Like he had with several 'gentleman' callers since arriving at Ely. "…I think I'd actually feel obligated to bend over."

"Awww…don't sell yourself short, Saint Michael. Your stellar behavior, college education and time on the force overqualified you."

"Pumping my ego, are you, Ramos?" Mike cackled as he reopened his Bible. "Shucks…for that, I'll add you to my prayer list tonight." He tapped his holy book. "I don't know if you've heard but…I have a direct line to god."

"Great, thanks...ask him to let me win the lottery tomorrow, will ya? Then I can quit this shit job." Ramos chuckled as he strolled away. "'Saint Michael, you'll make even more friends when you're helping guys out in the library…as if you don't have enough friends already."

**The Blakes  
****9:20 p.m. **

When she peeked in on Sean she saw him lying wide awake in bed staring at the ceiling. "Honey?" Closing the door behind her she walked over and took a seat on the bed. "I know something's been on your mind all night. Won't you tell me? Is it school? Is it too hard?"

"The academics?" A little perturbed by the suggestion, he turned to look at her. "Of course not."

"Is it social stuff again? Is it the same at Butterfield as it was at Desert Mountain?" When she saw his eyes watering Wendy's heart sank. "Oh, Honey…it's just the first day. I'm sure it will…"

"No…it won't." When the first tear slipped he turned to face the wall. "I wish **she** wasn't going there."

"Who, Sweetie?"

"Lindsay Willows," he confessed in a sob. "Maybe I would have fit in if no one knew me there, but right off the bat Lindsay told the most popular girl in school I was a loser who used to get beat up at his old school, and that girl…Celine Campbell…told **everyone** she saw. I'm branded on day one and I have six more years of school there."

"Are you sure Lindsay…"

"Yes!" The memory filling his head he told her, "They laughed in my face, Mom. Celine told Lindsay if she was friends with me, then she couldn't be friends with her. At the top of her lungs Lindsay assured her that she only speaks to me because her mother makes her. Celine laughed out loud and said good…because I was a deal breaker. I was standing two feet away the whole time!"

"Celine sounds like a real bitch!" Wendy covered her mouth. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"Now we know where I get my blurting from." Sitting up, he wiped his tears. "I heard stories…last year, Celine got a guy naked in the locker room and then stole his clothes and shoved him outside. Now, thanks to Lindsay, I'm her prime target!"

Placing her hands on Sean's shoulders Wendy said, "Here's a good rule to live by, Honey…don't get naked except when you're alone in your bedroom or shower. Then you'll never have to worry about being publicly humiliated by someone."

"Is that a rule you've always lived by, Mom?"

Faced with one of those awkward parenting moments, Wendy did what she thought was best…she lied. "Yes, I did, and it saved me a lot of grief. Of course, once I married your dad, I wasn't alone in the bedroom, but it's okay to be naked with someone when you're married because, um..."

When he saw his mother squirming Sean assured her, "Don't be embarrassed, biologically speaking I realize you and dad had to be naked together three times."

"Thanks for taking the pressure off." Smiling she kissed his forehead. "Try to get some sleep."

"Okay."

"Oh, and Sean…" At the door she delicately told him. "I spoke with Gil and you're all set for your birthday trip to the body farm."

His smile returned with a vengeance. "That's the best news I've had all day!"

"Honey…um…please don't mention going to the body farm to anyone at school."

"Because everyone will think I'm an even bigger freak?"

"Well…to be brutally honest…" Wendy nodded as she doled out the cold hard truth. "…most girls won't** ever** want to get near a guy who enjoys looking at dead bodies covered in bugs."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****9:47 p.m. **

When Sara emerged from the bathroom wearing only her special butterfly thong, she found her husband immersed in a Forensic Entomology magazine. "Ahem."

"Sara!" With his eyes focused on a photo of a corpse piled high in insects and larvae he giggled like a school boy. "They used my photos. You have to see how good this spread turned out."

"Uh…I'd rather you see this." She turned around and glanced over her shoulder. "We're still celebrating, remember?" The last thing she wanted to do was peruse disgusting death photos.

For a moment he was torn between finishing the article and starting up with his wife, but then biology made the choice for him. Leaving the magazine behind, he took his reacting body to greet his wife. "I couldn't stand the pain of waiting for you so I was reading to pass the time."

"Oh please! That's bull and you know it." Resting her back against his chest she laughed. "You couldn't wait for me to shut the bathroom door so you could tear open the envelope and check out that magazine."

Grabbing her hand he effervesced. "You have to see the spread Sara. They sent me a mock up in black and white, which looked okay, but now that they're in color...it's a work of art."

"Okay…okay." Standing at the edge of the bed ninety nine percent naked, she studied the detailed photos of rotting flesh and feasting bugs. "I'm very proud of you, Honey. I don't think there have ever been such beautiful pictures of desiccation in the history of Forensic Entomology. No one takes a better snapshot of body rot and beetles than you."

"The thong was working but now…now, I'm really turned on." Pulling her down on the bed he chuckled, "You know just the right thing to say to fire me up."

As he ravaged her body with kisses Sara goaded him on, "Your blowfly close up was extraordinary and the way that maggot was poised on the tibia…oh…OH…you're Rembrandt with a camera."

"Gil…" Ron's voice called through the door.

Lifting his head out of Sara's chest he yelled, "Not now, Dad…I'm getting lucky."

Sara shoved him off her. "He is not!" Half embarrassed, half amused she decided to get some revenge. "It will be about twenty more minutes before the Viagra kicks in, so…"

Gil covered his wife's mouth. "What is it, Dad?"

Laughing he replied, "I was just coming to tell you that Lina quit, so if you need anything tonight, you're on your own."

"She quit?" Sara jumped up to find some clothes. "What happened?"

Ron advised, "No need to get dressed, Sara."

"Exactly how thin are these walls?" she asked while closing the dresser drawer. "For the money this place costs, the rooms really should be soundproof."

"I couldn't hear you, I was just predicting your behavior," Ron explained.

Gil smiled approvingly. "So that's where I get it from."

"Lina quit because she thought it was inappropriate to be dating her boss."

A smile returned to Sara's mouth. "Aww."

"Goodnight, kids."

"She was kidding about the Viagra, Dad!" Gil grabbed his wife and tackled her onto the bed.

"Damn…I was going to filch one off you, Son."

Both Gil and Sara cringed.

"HA! Just kidding." Ron burst out laughing. "I bet the mental image you just conjured up was a real turn off. Night!"

Gil glanced south. "It's gone."

"Well, I'm still good to go," Sara lounged seductively on the bed. "Focus on me, Bug Man and while you do, I'll give you a little oral gratification."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Mmm…" Closing her eyes she blissfully sighed, "…your infestation photograph was amazing and the way you captured the beauty of the Predatory Rove Beetle…"

"I love it when you single them out by name. Did you learn that from the text I gave you?" he panted in her ear.

"You know it, Baby." Rolling over she taunted, "What is the proper name for the beauties on the string of my thong?"

"Those would be lovely Lepidoptera." Running his hand up her thighs he growled, "But their beauty pales in comparison to your Gluteus Maximus, my Dear."

**

* * *

****Author's Notes: **

**Next Chapter:** Catherine has a surprising proposition for Warrick…Gil plays chess with someone special…If only Dr. Myers could be a fly on the wall of the Sanders home!…Andy has something important to ask his brother…and be prepared to see the gang (G,S,Gr,T,N,C,B,LH,C,W) as you've **never** seen them before! **Posting:** Monday morning.

Thanks for the review Rojaji!

**Thanks to all for reading. Have a great weekend!**

**Maggs**


	18. Chapter 18

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 18**

**August 31, 2005  
****The Mandalay Bay  
****10:16 p.m. **

"Wow," was all Gil could muster while rolling onto his back.

"It wasn't flu sex but it was up there," Sara joked. Immediately a pillow landed on her face. "Was it really my gushing over your pictures that got you so revved up?"

"I think it was being under my dad's roof." Reclaiming his pillow he fluffed it. "I felt seventeen again."

"Uh…" Sara let her laughter flow, "When you were seventeen you weren't living with your father nor having sex with girls."

Like a naughty school boy he replied, "I was if you count the girls in my magazines."

"I'm so glad I'm not a teenager anymore," Sara remarked while making a beeline for the bathroom.

"Being a pregnant thirty something with an overactive bladder is more appealing?"

"Hell, yeah." Sara left the door open a crack so the conversation could continue. "I can live vicariously through Sean's pain if I get nostalgic for being a pubescent outcast."

"Have you decided if you're coming to the body farm when I take him?"

"I really don't think the baby needs to see that place. How about I just meet you for ice cream and pickles afterwards?"

"Chicken."

"Ooh." Returning to the room she grabbed her husband's t-shirt and tossed it on. "I'd love some chicken. I'm starving." Hopping on the bed she asked, "Where's that room service binder?"

From his nightstand drawer he retrieved the book. "You're getting spoiled living here."

"Considering what I let you do to me tonight, I'd say so are you."

With a Cheshire grin he said, "I don't recall you complaining. Unless I misunderstood you, when you groaned...'yes…just like that…ooooh, **perfect**!' Or was that some kind of code for 'please stop I'm bored'?"

"I was faking," she said behind the menu.

"Yeah…right." Gil chuckled as he propped up on his elbow.

"What?" Lowering the book she asked with a straight face. "You don't think I've ever faked one with you?"

"No."

She returned the book to block her grin.

"Have you?"

"Yep. Several times…but not tonight." She winked. "That was organic satisfaction."

Snatching the book from her hands Gil demanded, "When did you fake?"

Suddenly regretting the honesty she turned her eyes to the ceiling. "Um…I don't have exact dates."

"You remember the day you almost adopted a cat but not the days you faked orgasms for me?" His brows knitted. "**Why** would you fake one?"

"It had nothing to do with your performance if that's what you're worried about."

"Sara…" he gaped at her. "Of course that's what I'm worried about! What guy wouldn't automatically jump to that conclusion? Hell, Nick would probably be heading for the roof to jump if he were in my position right now."

Dropping back onto the pillows she quickly mumbled, "Okay…okay…I did it because you were in the mood and although I was in the mood to let you have your way, I didn't feel like going the extra distance myself because I had a lot on my mind from work but, I knew you'd feel badly if I didn't so…I pretended I did so you wouldn't be disappointed." Returning her gaze to his she smiled sweetly. "Nobody was left unsatisfied or unhappy so what's the big deal?"

The frustration in his voice rising he snipped, "Because now I won't know if you are or aren't."

"I promise to tell you," she answered while trying not to laugh.

"Sara…" Shaking his head Gil held up his hands. "Why bother faking if you're going to tell me you are?"

"I realized it was quite a stupid thing to say right after the words left my mouth." Releasing her trapped laugh she asked, "So you won't be offended if sometimes I say, 'Honey, just go to town and don't worry about me'?"

"Are you kidding? That's really every guy's dream isn't it?" he joked. "Aside from the two girls at once fantasy."

"Since we're being honest…were you ever with two women at once?"

"Many times…"

"Really?" She had figured the answer would most certainly be no.

Gil's laughter intensified. "Yeah…one girl on the left side of the magazine page, and the other one on the right."

Grabbing a pillow she swatted him.

"Hey!"

**Crime Lab – Warrick's Office  
****10:22 p.m. **

When he saw Catherine walking by his window staring at a report, Warrick called out, "Hey, Cath!"

"Yeah?" Removing her glasses she stood in the doorway.

"You want some of this before I start in?" He pointed to the burrito on his desk. "You haven't eaten."

"No appetite."

"Because of me or Lindsay?"

"You're both driving me insane."

Smiling, he reclined in his chair. "Well…then I guess you know how it feels to be me most days."

Stepping inside, she shut the door. "I think you were right the other day about this not working."

His brows rose along with his heart rate. "How so?"

She took a seat and cleared her throat, "I'm here to speak with my supervisor."

"Okay." He sat a little taller and grabbed a pen. "I'm all ears, Ms. Willows."

"I think it would be better for my personal life if I wasn't working nightshift. I need to be home with my daughter more and…there's a conflict of interest that isn't prudent, nor conducive to a very special relationship I'm in."

"Really." Tapping his pen he tried to stay in the managerial role. "Do you have a proposed solution to the problem?"

"I could transfer to Days," she suggested.

"I couldn't do that to Nick," he chuckled. "I already surprised him with Sofia and Hodges."

"Well…" Smirking, Catherine reclined in her chair. "Now that Hodges is getting laid he's much more agreeable, and since Nick and Sofia have reconciled their differences, I don't think either of them will be problems for him when he returns."

"But what about you?" Warrick asked, quite skeptically. "Why should I give my most problematic employee to my buddy? You won't be on his shift ten minutes before you're trying to barrel him over and take charge. That's a recipe for disaster, because Nick was taught to respect authority and he'll demand respect from you…but you live to break the rules so you'll push back. Worse yet…you'll try to manipulate him, because we both know that's easy to do if you know his buttons…and we both know you're an expert at button pushing. It could ruin your friendship with him…it could ruin **my** friendship with him. Lastly, it would also put you and Sofia together again, and Nicky doesn't need the drama. Sorry, Ms. Willows… for all parties concerned, I don't believe it's a wise move."

"What if…I extend an olive branch to Sofia and I promise to be submissive with Nick?" When he laughed hysterically Catherine snipped, "Is that the kind of response a respected supervisor should be giving?"

"Busted." Warrick's laughter slowed. "It was just so off the wall impossible to comprehend that scenario I lost my head. Okay…let's stretch our imaginations to capacity for a minute, and pretend you could do those two things…"

Amused by his amusement Catherine couldn't control her grin.

"What about your man? You'll never see him."

"I would if he switched to the open Swing Shift Supervisor position and let Pete have nights, which Pete happens to prefer over Swing."

"It's definitely open?" he said with surprise.

"You know I know everything around here first."

"Ms. Willows…" He stood and extended his hand. "Thank you for bringing your suggestions to my attention. I promise to consider them carefully, run the ideas by Supervisor Stokes and Assistant Director Brass, and respond to you in a timely manner."

"Thank you, Supervisor Brown." Standing she accepted the handshake with a smirk. "Off the record I just want to say…I'm so completely turned on right now. You've got this Supervisor thing down and that black shirt is just so..."

"Maybe submission is your hidden talent, Baby, and you've just been waiting for an opportunity to revel in it." Warrick chuckled, "Or…maybe the whole world's turning upside down."

"Hey, anything's possible. After all, Grissom is married to Sara with a baby on the way," she said with a sparkle in her eyes. "Who knows? Maybe Nick will become a millionaire overnight and Greg will return from California with his umbilical cord finally cut. "

"As an ex-gambler I'm not placing bets on either of those things to happen."

Feeling puckish she taunted, "Ahh…but if they do will you grant my shift bid?"

"You're on, Cat." He laughed from the belly. "Because it ain't gambling if there's no chance in hell I can lose."

**The Sanders Home  
****10:35 p.m. **

While Tawny was in the bathroom of the guest suite, Greg stood talking to his mother in the bedroom. "Really…I'm okay. I'm glad he figured it out in the first two minutes, now I don't have to obsess about it for days and Tawny doesn't have to pretend."

"He's already come a long way and he'll be better about it tomorrow, Honey." Hugging her jittery son she whispered in his ear. "I think it was harder because he's been so proud of you lately…this was set back, but it's only temporary. I'll work on him. By the end of the trip, I'm sure he'll see you in a whole new light, Sweetheart."

When Greg saw his father in the doorway, he quickly slipped out of his mother's embrace. "Hey, Dad…thanks again for the BBQ…everything was great…especially the shrimp."

After a quick nod he entered the room. "Uh…tomorrow, while you're with your mother doing your top secret thing that I'm not allowed to know about…I was wondering what Tawny might be interested in doing. I know she said anything is fine because she's never been here before, but I really want to do something nice for her."

"Uh…" Reading the subtext loud and clear, Greg glanced over his shoulder then said, "Dad…I can tell you the top secret thing as long as Tawny doesn't hear. I'm uh…practicing my marriage proposal."

"On your mother?" Cocking his head Scott said, "What would your therapist say about that, Son?"

Bev smacked her husband in the gut. "It's a** musical** proposal, you wise ass. He's rusty…I'm his vocal coach."

"You're going to** sing** your proposal?" He hoped his son wouldn't be wearing a puffy shirt when doing so, but since Tawny was penniless and pregnant with twins, he knew she'd say yes no matter how odd the scenario.

"I'm not singing the proposal itself," Greg replied, knowing it would shock his father. "Look…after seventeen years…I'm calling off the ban on singing in front of mom, and playing sports with you. Last week I asked Mom to arrange a tee time for us for this Sunday. So what do you say? Are you up for eighteen holes?"

Stunned, he stood gaping for moment, then it hit him. "Ah…let me guess...that's when you were planning on breaking the news about the babies. Buttering me up so…"

"Hey…" Greg quickly pointed out, "I'm asking you to play even though you already know about the babies, right? But, I'll understand if you don't want to because, I'm still a horrid golfer who will no doubt embarrass you and put everyone around us in peril."

Scott placed a hand on his son's slouching shoulder and smiled. "I'd love to golf with you…no matter how dangerous or embarrassing."

"Cool. And since Tawny bought me some nice clothes for the course, you won't have to worry about me wearing something stupid." Laughing slightly he asked, "So…on an aggravation scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest, where are you hovering right now?"

"Well…I was at a ten-plus, but now…after being reminded we could be recovering from your funeral this week instead of discussing your future...nine." Taking a deep breath he said, "Eight…maybe seven. I think after a good night's sleep I can bring it down to six." Feeling his wife's pinch he shrugged. "Probably a five."

"Oh." Tawny cinched her silk babydoll robe a little tighter when she emerged from the bathroom and saw the crowd.

"We were just saying goodnight, Sweetie." Bev crossed the room to give her a hug. In her future daughter-in-law's ear she whispered, "You work on getting Greg to chill out around his dad, and I'll get Scott to back off."

"Got it."

"We'll see you in the morning, kids." Bev followed her husband to the door. "I'm making waffles!"

"Great…night." As soon as the door shut Greg collapsed on the bed. "Oh…my…god. I really need to hide for like a day…maybe two. I know it was a shock and he's being really cool about it but, I'm** so** tense. He makes me so **tense**! Do you see how tense he makes me?"

"Greg…honestly…" She knelt on the bed looming over him. "…your Dad is a great guy and you need to chill out. His reaction wouldn't have been so drastic if he had been in the loop. You can't blame him for not trusting you when you've given him ample reason not to and it's not like you can say you were being responsible when you got me pregnant…you weren't, neither was I."

"Ugh." He looked at the truth-speaking traitor and whined, "Please…can't you enable me just for a little while?"

"No…because I'm not your mother, I'm your future wife, and unlike her…I need you to grow up." Tawny pulled back the plush comforter and sateen sheets. "Roll over…" Patting the mattress she said, "I'll give you a backrub. I want you relaxed before you fall asleep because you have work, Tucker Mifflin, Mike Rodgers, baby stress and your Dad's anger all swimming in your head. It's the perfect formula for a terrible nightmare."

Tossing his t-shirt he slid onto the sheets. "My dad was very supportive of the Amish fib. That's because he likes you and wants to protect you. That's one part of him I can fully relate to." Greg blew out a breath as Tawny returned with her massage oil and unleashed her magic fingers. "I'll chill…I promise." His eyelids lowered as her touch soothed him.

"How does that feel?" She asked while working his knots.

"Awesome, Sweetie…just what I needed."

"Think of a happy place…some place simple and safe," she cooed in his ear, hoping to plant thoughts that would induce sweet dreams. "A place where there are no bad guys…just friends and family all living happily ever after without stress."

"Mmm…" The mental exhaustion and the wine consumption catching up to him, Greg faded fast and within minutes, he was drifting off to exactly where Tawny requested…a safe, simple place, where he was living with all his friends and there wasn't a bad guy in sight…

_"Morning Sweetie," Greg kissed his simply dressed wife on the cheek upon joining her in the modest kitchen of their farm house just before sunrise. "You know, when we found out that the witness protection program was sending us to Amish country I was ticked," he informed his very pregnant wife while taking a seat at the wooden table. "But now that we've been here six months I think I'm starting to get used to it." _

_"I love it," Tawny assured him as she pulled a fresh loaf of pumpkin bread from the oven. "After living in the middle of Sin City for years and having lech after lech leering at my naked body…I'm finding puritanical married life a dream." Slicing the steaming loaf she smiled at her husband who was **still **trying to grow the typical Amish beard. "All this physical labor you're doing is really bulking you up, Baby." _

_"I can't believe how big my biceps are." He dug into the plate of eggs and bacon Tawny set in front of him. "Nick's getting ticked that I'm catching up." _

_With a wink she said, "I think you're going to pass him by Spring." A knock on the door sent Tawny skipping off to answer. "Guten Morgan!" she called out to her neighbors. "Are your ears burning, Nicholas? We were just talking about you." _

_"Let me guess…" Nick's eyes rolled as he removed his black hat and entered the house with Carrie at his side. "Greggo was talking about his burgeoning biceps." _

_"You know it," he answered while holding up his milk glass. "It does a body good, Bro."_

_"Yeah…nice stubble, Chuckles, maybe by our one year anniversary here you'll have that beard. Mind if I use your washroom?" Without waiting for an answer he went right for it. _

_Carrie grabbed Tawny by the arm and whisked her away into the corner of the room. "I did it again." _

_"No!" Tawny giggled riotously. "You're so bad. One of these days you're going to get caught." _

_"Nick doesn't know about these…they're a surprise." From underneath her simple black dress she pulled out a pair of stunning strappy sandals covered in black sequins. "Won't he go nuts! Will you hide them for me until our six month wedding anniversary night?"_

_"Sure." _

_"Don't let her make you feel bad about your fetish, Carrie." Greg laughed as he stood and adjusted the black suspenders covering his purple shirt. "I have my MP3 player stowed and Tawny has a verboten portable DVD player and movie collection under one of the floor planks in the bedroom." _

_Nick returned to the kitchen tucking in his azure blue shirt. "**Now** I'm ready to raise a barn." _

_"Hey!" Greg pointed. "You stunk up my bathroom again, didn't you? I know you use mine because there's no electricity to run a fan and Carrie gets ticked when you stink up yours. This is the third time!" _

_"Third time's a charm," Nick winked and rubbed his hands together. "Damn, I'm excited. I love barn raising days." _

_Greg laughed at his pal. "You love everything about being here, don't you? All the hard and fast rules..." _

_"Are you kidding? I miss football, ESPN, X-box, beer and fast food." Taking Carrie's hand he kissed it. "And seeing my diamond on my wife's hand, but we're safe from Mike, Tucker and Nigel and that's all that matters." _

_"And I still get to put my ring on at night when we're alone." Carrie stole a kiss then sighed, "But…even wearing my lucky ring, I'm still not pregnant. Yesterday when Heather announced she was pregnant with Jim's baby I cried all afternoon. Now I'm the only one not expecting." _

_Nick lowered his head in shame. "I'm really sorry, Honey." _

_"I always thought you wore your jeans too tight, Bro." Greg slapped his buddy on the back. "Don't sweat it…it will probably take a few more months of loose pants to get your boys swimming fast enough again." _

_"Aww…" Tawny smiled supportively at their sperm-challenged friend. "Don't feel bad, Nick…most guys aren't as virile as Greg. It takes a special man to impregnate a woman with twins only ninety minutes into their first date." _

_A quick knock sent Tawny dashing towards the door. "Guten Morgan!" She had invited everyone over for pumpkin loaf before the barn raising. "I hear congratulations are in order, Heather. But, I'm confused. I thought you said you weren't going to join the expectant mothers club?" _

_Heather sashayed into the kitchen and took a seat. "When playing the role of the submissive Amish wife, I remain in character. Jim wanted sex, we were out of condoms, I couldn't say no." _

_"Did I hear right?" Sara asked as she stepped through the open door in her modest Amish dress. "Well…the world could use a little more Jim Brass...oh, and Heather…um…is that a new dress?" _

_"Yes." Heather smoothed her hands over the tight bodice. "At least I didn't have to give up wearing black along with my most of my human rights." _

_Jim accepted a hug from Sara. "Since Ellie can't be here…I was anxious to try the father thing again." _

_"I miss my family," Nick admitted. _

_"Me too."__ Carrie rested her head on her man's shoulder and sniffled. _

_"Not me," said Greg. "Mostly because they live with us." His mother had insisted they come along and his father was quickly appreciated as the community's dental expert. "Can someone explain how I'm in a **protection** program with the guy I fear the most?" _

_"Where's Gil, Sara?" Brass asked. "Still working on that handcrafted cradle for your future son?" _

_"Yes…" Smoothing her hand over the apron covering her burgeoning belly, she showed the depth of her love with a radiant smile. "He's carving out the ants on the sides." _

_Nick shivered, "Aren't you afraid your kid will have nightmares lying in a box covered with ants?" _

_"Are you kidding?" Sara laughed, "Bug love is in our child's DNA." _

_"I tested for it," Greg joked. "It's true." _

_"Sorry, we're late," Catherine announced as she entered the house licking her dry, un-colored lips. "Lindsay was giving us crap again. And can I just say for the millionth time how much I miss lipstick!" _

_Warrick stepped inside and removed his black hat. "Linds is counting the minutes until her rumspringa." _

_While Heather eyed Catherine from head to toe she asked, "Don't you think the cleavage is a bit risqué for an Amish woman?" _

_"Shut up." _

_"That's not very Amish," Carrie reminded her friend. "We're pacifists…we need to blend, remember?" _

_"Blending here is easy for you, Prissy." Catherine pointed to her head. "I'm not the little bonnet type. And since Warrick is the only African American Amish man…I think we're already on the cusp of standing out."_

_"Hey, I can't cook," Sara offered in sympathy while re-lacing her clunky black shoes. "That keeps making people whisper." _

_"Well, I can't quilt, but…" Heather smirked. "…no one gets the sheep to corral faster than me." She winked at Jim. "Mmm…I've still got it." _

_"Ready, gentleman?"__ Gil asked from the doorway while tipping his straw hat. "And please…let's participate in this barn raising without causing problems or drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves like last time…that means you, Greg. I got word that a man was snooping around town asking questions about the community yesterday." _

_"Do you think it was one of Mike's minions?" Greg asked in a jittery voice while his pulse notched. _

_Holding up his hand Brass cautioned, "Let's not jump to conclusions. You know Gil is overly paranoid when it comes to Rodgers. And since no one did anything to blow our cover…we have nothing to worry about."_

Lowering the parenting magazine Bev had given her Tawny listened to her stressed man's breathing quicken. "Greg?" Worrying he was slipping into a nightmare she snuggled close. "Sweetie…" When she heard him babbling incoherently, she gently ran her fingertips through his golden hair. "Greg..."

_"Greg!" Tawny shrieked as she held her stomach. "Help me!" _

_"Tawny!"__ When he came to Greg realized he had been tied to the frame of a wood barn wall and was standing atop a pile of lumber. "What's that smell?" _

_"Gasoline," Tucker Mifflin answered while shaking out the last of the cans contents at his enemy's feet. "You're gonna light up like a Christmas Tree, Farmboy." _

_"Greg!" Sara's voice echoed in the valley. "Help us! He's going to kill Gil!" _

_When Greg turned he saw Mike Rodgers had Gil and Sara tied to trees and was holding an axe in front of Grissom's throat. _

_"It looks like your pal Greg is tied up at the moment, Sara," Mike maniacally laughed. "Maybe try someone else. _

_"Nick!" she screamed. _

_Mike laughed harder. "Your second choice is bad too. Nick is too busy watching Nigel have fun with his sweet little wife Carrie." _

_Greg craned his neck just in time to see Nick stroking out. "No! Help! Brass! Warrick!" _

_"No can do…Chuckles," Tucker cackled. "Look…" He pointed toward a field. _

_"Oh my God!"__ Greg's eyes clamped shut from the horror. Heather and Brass being whipped by a man while Catherine and Warrick's bodies were tied to stakes for vultures to enjoy. _

_"Greg!" Tawny shrieked. "I'm too small to give birth naturally. I need a c-section!" Falling to her knees she sobbed and held out her bloody hands. "I'm dying, Greg. There won't be a happily ever after for us." _

_"Tawny!"__ He struggled to get free. "This can't be happening! We were supposed to be safe here. Why is this happening!" _

_Scott Sanders stepped in front of his son. "You know the answer to that Greg. All of this…" He pointed to each of the horrendous scenes. "…is your doing because were reckless." _

_"What?" Sweat ran down Greg's face and mixed with his tears. "I didn't…" _

_"Yes, you did," Scott calmly informed him. "You bought a new lithium battery for your MP3 player in town yesterday and were seen…you blew your cover." Shaking his head he sighed, "All because you had to listen to Prince, you selfish boy. Your friends are suffering excruciating deaths, and your wife is fighting her last breath…and it's all your doing." _

_Barely able to talk through his tears Greg explained, "But I didn't mean to…" _

_"No, you never do, Son." Scott pointed his finger. "It's always an accident isn't it, Gregory…you get a little too hyped up and stop thinking about consequences just long enough to do some serious damage. Isn't that **exactly **what happened the day you got Tawny pregnant? It was all about what Greg had to have at that moment. Well, this time you're paying big, you spoiled brat. Look at what you caused!" He grabbed his chin and made him see. "This is** all…** **your…** **fault**!" _

_"No!" He sobbed harder. "I never wanted to cause Tawny pain."_

_"You're being too hard on him, Scott!" Bev chided her husband. "He's just a little boy." Kissing her son's cheek she soothed, "Don't worry, I'll get you out of this, Sweetheart. And afterwards, I'll make you waffles." _

_"I don't think you can this time, Mom," he whimpered. "I'm in too deep." _

_Tucker walked behind Mrs. Sanders and smiled at Greg. "You can thank me for this later." _

_Greg helplessly watched Tucker shoot his mother._

_Blowing on the tip of the smoking gun Tucker casually remarked, "Overbearing mothers get to be a real pain in the ass after while. She's been holding you back for decades, dude. She's the reason you never got laid in high school. Chicks don't like Mama's boys." Then he yelled down field, "Mister Rodgers! Did you see that!" _

_"Nice work, Partner!" Mike nodded approvingly as he held up the byproduct of his axe work. "I'm going to shrink the brainiac's head and keep it in a jar in my office, but I'll leave his body for the bugs because I'm not completely evil…the Bug Man would love having his body eaten by insects." _

_Greg watched as Mike brought the head in front of Sara's face. _

_"You wanna kiss your husband goodbye, Mrs. Grissom?" Mike snickered with delight. "Pucker up!" _

_"Greg!" Tawny sobbed, "I know about the battery…it's okay. I know you didn't mean to cause trouble." On her dying breath, she whispered, "I love you, Greg…so much and forever." _

_With flare Tucker lit a match in front of Greg's eyes. "And now for the grand finale…" He dropped the match and jumped back singing to the tune of The Roof is on Fire, "The Greg…The Greg…The Greg is on fire. We don't need no water, let the Mother Lover burn!" _

"Did you hear that?" Bev shoved her dozing husband.

"Huh?" As Scott rolled to turn on the light he heard Tawny frantically screaming. _Greg! Stop! Wake up!_

In a flash they were both darting down the hall to the guest suite and when they burst into the room their breath caught as they saw their son thrashing wildly on the floor in his boxers, while Tawny tried to restrain him.

"It's a night terror," She hurriedly explained. "I can't get him to snap out of it."

"No! No!" His eyes wide with fear, Greg tried to bat out the flames. "Tawny! I'll save you!"

"I'm right here," she responded before being tossed aside by his frantic movements.

"Careful!" Bev clutched her chest as tears built in her eyes. "The babies…"

Scott rushed over, dropped to his knees and grabbed his son from behind, clutching him tightly. "Son! You're okay. You're okay!" For a minute he struggled for a control then, after a lengthy wail, Greg's body went limp in his arms. "You're okay…" Still holding him securely, Scott sat back against the wall. "Greg…" His loosened his grip slightly and brushed his son's drenched hair. "It wasn't real…it was a bad dream." In a flash he was transported back twenty years. "I've got you. You're okay." Gently he patted his cheek.

"Dad…" Glancing up he saw tears in his father's eyes. "I'm really sorry I bought the battery. You were right…it was irresponsible."

The statement didn't make sense, but Scott smiled and soothed, "I forgive you, Son." The painful memories the scenario conjured, along with the realization that Greg was more troubled than he thought, tore at his heart. "You're safe."

After a few more blinks and deep breaths Greg got his bearings. "Uh…" The realization he was being cradled in his father's arms came as a big surprise. "What…um…" He shifted his eyes around the room and saw Tawny and his mother holding each other. "Oh…I woke the house, didn't I?"

Wiping her tears that had resulted from watching Scott's loving reaction, Tawny approached smiling. "And since the window was open there's a good chance the cops are on the way too. Luckily your dad got things under control." Reaching out her hand she waited for Greg to take it and then said, "You're drenched, how about I get you to the shower?"

"Yeah." Greg let his father help him to feet. "Sorry for the freak show, Mom and Dad. It doesn't happen every night."

Scott nodded and watched his troubled boy slip into the bathroom with Tawny and quickly shut the door. Only then did he blow out a sharp breath. "That was…"

"A painful reminder of what used to be a frequent occurrence around here when he was stressed." Pointing her finger at Scott she scolded, "You need to back off. I know my son…he's at his limit. The babies are on the way and there's no going back, so let's just move forward and be supportive."

"Bev…" Scott took another cleansing breath. "Your words are also a painful reminder of what used to be a frequent occurrence around here too. Love and support does not mean coddling. It means showing him where he went wrong, teaching him how to be more responsible and…"

"And that approach made him have a night terror! Talk about familiar."

"Did you ever consider that maybe the nightmare was fueled by his **guilt** and not my pointing out that he messed up? Or maybe his fear is rooted in the reality that he's **not** prepared to handle what's ahead because he doesn't have solid coping mechanisms…and he doesn't have them because you've always solved his problems for him?"

"Are you for real?" Bev gaped at her husband. "It has nothing to do with the babies and everything to do with that god damn job he insists on keeping."

"I think you're wrong," he countered. "The first thing he said when he was half out of it and saw me was _I'm really sorry for being irresponsible_."

"He was telling you what he knows you want to hear."

"Or, maybe he was taking accountability for his actions like a man instead of the child you continue to want him to be." Grabbing Tawny's baby magazine from the bed he heatedly said, "He's having children of his own, Bev. Time's up! He has to grow up, so you're the one who needs to back off, not me. As I see it, he has less than seven months to go through the process and become a responsible, independent adult and that's assuming the pregnancy progresses without complication and he doesn't need to fill the role sooner. Now, I've done things your way for thirty years but, as of this minute…we're doing them my way. I don't think it's a lot to ask for after all this time." Tossing the magazine he walked to the door then turned. "And, Bev…in case you don't remember, those night terrors he used to have were the result of being picked on at school, and we both know he was picked on because of **your** insistence that he be quirky and not run with the pack."

In the empty room Bev took a seat on the bed. That's when she realized the sheets were drenched with her son's sweat. In her mind she knew her husband was right but in her heart she was reluctant to let go because what if she did and something terrible happened again?

"He's okay," Tawny announced when she stepped out of the bathroom. "He just needs a nice long shower."

"The sheets…" Bev stood and started stripping them. "I'll…"

"I can do it." Tawny took over on the opposite side. "I saw the extras in the linen closet."

"Oh…okay." Bev backed away. "Does he want something to drink? I could make some..."

"Don't worry…I know where the fridge is too," Tawny sweetly informed her while hoping the message was clear but not harsh.

"Alright…" She stepped into the hall and took the doorknob while staring at her husband's new ally. "I'll see you in the morning then."

"Night."

**Jim Brass's Apartment  
****11:32p.m. **

"What a shit week," Jim lamented as he lie on his bed enjoying the backrub Heather was giving him. "This is just what I needed."

"Don't you mean **I **am just what you needed?" Heather dug in a little deeper.

"Isn't that what I said?" he teased while grabbing her right hand to his mouth for a quick kiss. "Tasty."

"Macadamia Nut Massage Oil." Grabbing the bottle from the center of the bed she opened it and poured another dollop into her palm. "How about you release some of your mental burdens while I release your muscular ones?"

"Whispering Pines told me Ellie is scheduled to receive phone privileges tomorrow afternoon."

"Weekend visitation is only a few days away." Warming the oil in her hands she smiled, "I know you'll be there waiting for the door to open."

"I'm counting the minutes but, I'm nervous as hell."

"Because you're worried she doesn't want to talk to you?"

"That and…as long as I don't talk to her, I can assume it's all going well." Closing his eyes he tried to lose himself in her touch. "I think I've slept two hours since we left her there."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****11:36 p.m. **

Both suffering from insomnia, Ron and Gil had bumped into each other in the living room and decided to kill some time playing chess.

"So, how good would you say you are at Chess, Gil?"

"I used to play against my computer and win quite a bit."

"Back in your anti-social days?"

"Dad..." Gil glanced up after moving a pawn. "…except for the last year, my entire life was spent being anti-social."

"I'm glad I waited to see you until you were out of that phase," Ron remarked while sizing up the board. "I think it would have been a lot harder to reconcile if you were still brooding and didn't have Sara to be your voice of reason."

"I agree." He considered his father's latest move on the board and sat back rubbing his fingers across his beard. "Having a strong woman by my side is making a huge difference in my life."

"Are you okay with Lina and I…"

"I think she's too good for you," Gil replied before his father could finish. "But since it's obvious she cares deeply about you, I'll respect her judgment." He moved his rook. "And there's no denying the two of you are good together."

"Your mother and I were good together once too." Ron remarked as he slid his bishop across the board to capture one of his son's pawns. "That's what worries me. With wives two and three, love wasn't in the equation. Assets, not hearts were the only thing at risk. I guess I just have to hope the fourth time's a charm and a piece of paper won't change everything good we have."

"Are you going to ask Lina to marry you?" Gil raised a brow. "Don't you think that's pretty quick since you just officially started dating on Sunday."

"Actually…" Ron chuckled. "We weren't dating on Sunday, I made that up so she wouldn't feel awkward accompanying me to the party. We didn't officially get together until Monday night after you left with Sara to go to the hospital. Hell, by Vegas standards, is a forty-eight hour courtship considered short or just average? Of course by your standards it must seem like light speed."

Gil captured his father's pawn and then grabbed his glass of scotch.

"I'm not forty, Son, I'm seventy-two. I don't have time to waste." Smiling, Ron lifted his glass of club soda. "Besides…while it may not have been official or physical, Lina and I have been together for years. Surely you can relate to that feeling."

"Yes, indeed." Gil made his next move and shyly asked, "So…uh…are you…"

"You want to know if I'm still going strong in the sack because twenty three years from now you hope to be doing the same with your young wife. You do realize there's the same fourteen year age difference between Lina and me as you and Sara, right?"

He lied gracefully "That was not what I was going to ask."

"But now that I brought it up you want to know the answer."

"Brought it **up**…that's funny." Gil sipped his drink. "Forgive my pubescent behavior…I absorbed it from Greg."

"We're waiting until our wedding night."

"And when will that be?"

"Friday…" He answered, knowing it would shock his son. "…assuming she says yes when I ask her and if you and Sara are free to accompany us to the chapel I have booked for that night."

**The Sanders Home  
****11:41 p.m. **

Under the covers facing each other, Greg whispered to Tawny, "I'm really looking forward to our big date tomorrow night…our first one ever." He was desperate to focus on something positive before nodding off again.

"Me too." Tawny was thrilled that he had shifted to happier thoughts. "I can't wait to see the ocean and have a romantic candlelit dinner for two."

With a nervous laugh he said, "I better stay up all night at the Bed &Breakfast though…because I don't want to scare the other guests with my nightmare drama."

Pressing her body closer Tawny soothed, "I don't think you'll have one if we have a great time that night and don't talk about the things that stress you out." After brushing her fingertips over his cheek she bestowed a tender kiss to his lips.

Softly he said, "You know what was really cool about this particular nightmare?"

"There was something good about it?" she replied in surprise.

"Yeah…" Stroking her hair, Greg whispered, "You never stopped loving me…even when you knew it was my stupidity that caused everything bad to happen. Your last words were…" Choking up a bit he paused. "…I love you, Greg…so much and forever."

"Aww…"

"You love me unconditionally." He realized it and vocalized it at the same time.

"I do."

"Hey…" His smile unfurled. "That's what you're supposed to say at our wedding."

"Practice makes perfect, **don't you think**?" With a gleaming grin she waited for him to take the bait

"**I do**."

"That was perfect…very confident." A moment later, the caress of his lips on her mouth sent the pit of her stomach into a swirl.

**University Trauma Center  
****11:45 p.m**.

"Andy!" Nick called out loudly from bed when he couldn't rouse Carrie. "My stomach…it's…"

Flying out of his chair Andy fetched the nurse. "Nicky's complaining about his stomach," he anxiously informed Hal. "He was sleeping sound just a few minutes ago."

"It's growling, that's all." Nick noted his brother's tense expression. "Because I'm starving. Carrie is sleeping on the call button so I couldn't buzz ya, Hal. I don't think I can sleep without eating something."

"Hunger is a very good sign." Hal finished the required vitals checks then announced, "I'll grab you some Jell-o cups and juice. In the morning you'll be allowed to get a little more adventurous, Mr. Stokes."

"Great…thanks."

When Hal was gone, Andy scolded, "You scared the shit out of me yelling about your stomach, Nicky. I thought you were bleeding internally again."

"Sorry." Carefully lifting his arm out from around Carrie he whispered, "But since you're up…"

He approached the bed ready to help.

"I want to do it on my own," Nick informed him as he gingerly moved his left leg over the side of the bed. "But stick close and be prepared to catch me."

"You know it." Andy took a step away and watched his brother work through the pain. "Hey…I have this crazy idea I want to run by you."

"Shoot," he replied through a grimace.

"Lissa called twice tonight while you were dozing…"

"Really?" He paused on the edge of the bed to recoup before trying to stand.

"The first time I did most of the talking…the second time she did." Pulling up a chair Andy took a seat. "She's holding off on filing for the divorce. We're going to take some time and see if we can work through everything."

Even though he felt miserable, Nick perked up. "That's fantastic news. Not that I think you deserve it but, it's great for the sake of my nieces and nephew."

"Yeah…I don't deserve it but, Lissa wants it to work for the kids. Let me assure you…I'm gonna put both dogs in the ring and fight for my marriage."

"Better late than never I suppose." Reaching out he gently punched his brother's arm. "See…you didn't need to run it by me. You knew the right thing to do." He winked. "I'm rubbing off on you."

"Must have happened when you were clinging to me in the john." After sharing a laugh Andy said, "But that's not what I was running by you. That was just good news I was sharing with my brother. Here's the thing…there's no reason for me to stay in Chicago now that my job is gone. Lissa never cared for the winters anyway. Going back to Dallas will be too much pressure with her psycho mother in town breathing down her neck. So, I was considering relocating my family here…to Vegas, because I think having you around to coach me would increase my odds of success. Lissa thinks the world of you, and loves the idea of the kids having their uncle close by, so…what do think about that idea, Bro? It would also give you and me a chance to start over."

"I think it's an excellent plan," he answered before bursting into a smile.

"Me too," Carrie added in a sleepy voice as she sat up behind her fiancé, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Are you heading to the bathroom, Nicky?"

"Let me guess…you need to use it too?" Looking at his brother Nick said, "This always happens at home."

"Dibs!" she playfully called while slipping past him. "Besides, I'll be done before you make it half way across the room."

"Don't worry…" Nick spoke at the closed door. "That new house I'm buyin' ya will have four to choose from, Darlin'."

"Maybe I'll buy in the same neighborhood as you."

"Let's not get carried away with the togetherness thing, because I fully expect you to still get on my nerves frequently and I like my space." Nick painstakingly pulled himself standing. "Then again…once Carrie and I have kids, it would be nice for them to be near their cousins."

"You're wobbling." Without being asked Andy took his brother's arm.

"Thanks." Nick clutched the end of the bed and took a moment. "One thing..."

"Yeah?"

"Tawny will be around because she and Carrie are tight and so are Greg and I. Do you think that will be too awkward for Melissa? I mean…Carrie doesn't feel threatened socializing with women I've been with but, I was with those women **prior** to being with her. Your situation is vastly different."

"Hell, Nicky…there isn't a part of this that isn't awkward. We'll just add it to the list of things we have to discuss in couple's therapy." Helping his brother get started walking again Andy asked, "Hey, do you happen to know the name of a good therapist in town?"

"Several people I know use someone named Dr. Myers and rave about her." Suddenly Nick laughed, "I'm currently under the guidance of The Rubber Band Man but, he's not taking any new patients."

"Because he's got his hands full with you, huh?"

When Carrie emerged she smiled at the guys laughing together. "I can't believe how fast you're moving on with him, Nicky."

"Of course I am, Darlin'…I'm practicing what I hear the preacher preachin' every Sunday…forgiveness. See…unlike you, I stay awake at church."

"I fell asleep **one** time!"

**The Blakes  
****11:57 p.m. **

When Ryan arrived in the kitchen shortly before midnight he was surprised to find Sean sitting at the kitchen table in the dark. "Dude…what are you doing awake?"

"My stomach was growling because I didn't eat dinner."

"I ate dinner and my stomach is still growling. I must have burned off a lot of calories reading." Opening the fridge he salivated at the leftovers. "This cold pizza is screaming my name." He grabbed two slices and a can of organic grape soda then took a seat across from his brother. "By the way, since you laughed at the idea of me reading five chapters in one night I have news for you…I read** six**."

"I'm impressed." Watching his brother chomping Sean cheerily said, "I'm really glad Mom, Dad and Coach Gooden agreed to let you stay on the team and only miss one game."

"The season opener!" he snapped after swallowing his first bit of pizza. "But it's way better than being kicked off the team so, I shouldn't complain."

"Well…if you're on the bench you get to be closer to the cheerleaders," Sean pointed out, hoping it would ease the pain.

Lifting his left hand high in the air Ryan said, "**Football**." Then he placed his right hand three feet lower. "**Girls**. But thanks for trying to cheer me up."

"Girls aren't very high on my list right now either," he admitted in an uncharacteristic overshare with his brother. "Lindsay made a new friend, Celine Campbell and they've teamed up to torture me."

"Lindsay…she's a poser, Dude…and a big time liar. Two words for ya…**steer clear**."

"A poser?"

"Someone trying to be something they're not." Breaking into a laugh he said, "Like us with uncle Nick…me trying to be smart and you trying to be a jock."

"But you are smart, Ryan. You just choose not to apply yourself."

Clutching his soda can he replied, "Uh…is this where I'm supposed to say you really are a jock, Sean but you don't apply yourself? Because I promised Mom I wouldn't lie and…"

"It's okay. I know I'm hopeless." Sinking in his chair he confessed, "I attempted to complete my homework assignment for Uncle Nick and couldn't follow a thing they were saying on ESPN. It's like they speak an entirely different language. And what's the point of learning the vernacular anyway? It won't make me a jock."

"Uncle Nick's point is…if you can understand what guys are saying and join in a little, then you won't stand out like a sore thumb, be called a candy ass, and get your butt kicked your whole life. Trust me, he doesn't think he can change you into a jock because, he's a realist."

"Realist is a pretty big word for you," Sean said, proud of his brother.

"It's what Dad said he was when I promised never to make another bad decision for the rest of my life. I asked him what it meant."

"Ah."

Finished with his pizza Ryan wiped his hands on his boxers and said, "Forget the ESPN plays of the day. Here's what you need to know to impress Uncle Nick tomorrow."

"Wait." Sean scrambled for a pencil and paper from the kitchen counter. "Okay."

"Repeat after me…So, Uncle Nick, Saturday is A&M's season opener against Clemson. I don't know about you but, I think the Tigers are gonna get their asses kicked with Reggie McNeal QB'ing for the Aggies, because McNeal tore up the field in 2004 averaging fifty-five yards rushing and two-hundred thirty yards passing. He's da bomb!"

After scribbling furiously Sean looked up and said, "Got it. Now translate it for me."

"First off…you do know we're talking about football, right?" Upon seeing his brother's irritation Ryan laughed, "Hey! You're **exasperated**, aren't you?"

"**Fully**…not half."

"Check it out…I learned a new word today." Enjoying his brother's company for the first time in a long time Ryan enthusiastically said, "Let's back up a little and do this right. The Big Twelve is college football conference and…"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Thanks Misty J for your review!

**Next chapter: **Greg gets a reality check…Cath is once again flummoxed…Carrie realizes there's a side of Nick that she's never encountered and she panics (LOL but you shouldn't because it's not serious, it's funny)…Hodges has news for Grissom…Sara visits her 'Bro'…Lindsay gets a karmic lesson…and there's another 'Gil doesn't enjoy Sofia's company' scene for those of you who can't get enough of that scenario LOL you know who you are. **Posting:** Wednesday night

Thanks for for reading!

Maggs


	19. Chapter 19

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 19**

**September 1, 2005  
****The Blakes  
****7:44 a.m. **

Paul was at the computer wrapping up some loose ends on his soon to be ex-job when Carrie breezed into the house. "Morning!"

"Hey, Sis." Paul wheeled around. "Now this is a nice change of pace…you looking rested and happy."

"And I'm Valium free!" she announced while coming to rest in front of her brother. "I spent the night in Nicky's bed and woke up a new woman."

Paul couldn't resist the tease. "Wow…I knew Nick had a reputation in the sack but, I'm really impressed that he could rock your world only days after major surgery and massive blood loss."

"Shut up." Chuckling, she swatted her brother. "You know what I meant."

"Aunt Carrie!" McKenna shouted as she ran from the kitchen.

"Hi, Sweetie!" Crouching down she held out her arms. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be here yesterday to wish you luck on your first day of kindergarten. But I'm here for day two!"

"Mommy told me Uncle Nick had a real bad tummy ache and you had to take him to the hospital." She snuggled into her aunt's arms. "Is he better?"

"Yep! The doctors fixed his tummy. You can come by the apartment and visit him as soon as he's out of the hospital."

"I made him a card with ladybugs on it." Skipping off she said, "I'll go get it from my room."

"Hey, Aunt Carrie," Ryan entered the living room waving his Harry Potter book. "Check it out…I finished** six** chapters."

"Nick's cramming," she laughed. "He got real tired last night. When I left he still had two chapters to go."

"Morning, Aunt Carrie," Sean sweetly greeted before giving her a hug.

"You look very handsome in your school uniform, Sean." Smiling, she adjusted the lapel on his jacket. "Hey…are you a little sleepy this morning? You have circles under your eyes. Your new school must be really challenging."

"No, I was up late talking football with Ryan."

Paul choked on the sip of coffee he was in the process of swallowing. "You?"

"Yeah, Dad." With verve Sean asked, "Aunt Carrie…is Uncle Nick psyched about the A&M season opener on Saturday night?"

"Uh…" Carrie shrugged. "He hasn't mentioned it to me."

"Really? He did to me," Paul interjected while still staring at Sean. "He's relieved it's scheduled on regular TV instead of cable, so he won't miss it if he's still in the hospital. Yeah…when you were in the cafeteria with Jillian for dinner I talked ball with Nick and Andy the whole time. They're both rabid fans."

Shaking her head she insisted, "I've never even seen Nick watch football."

"Duh!" From his position on the couch Ryan laughed, "That's because you didn't know him during football season last year. You were still living in Seattle. Why do you think Nick has Sunday's off? It's not so he can attend church. And exactly why is your wedding in **February**, after football season is over? Hmm…face it…you're about to become a football widow, Aunt Carrie, and you're not even married."

Sean corrected, "Technically, she'll be a football fiancée."

Paul stood and stared at his sister. "Ryan's right…you've never lived through football season with Nick."

"Neither have you," she reminded her brother. "So how would you know what he'll be like? Do you really expect me to believe he's going to turn into an entirely different person just because some silly football games are on TV?"

"Yes!" Ryan and Paul laughed hard enough to get Wendy to come running from the kitchen.

"What's so funny?"

Paul pointed at his tensing sister. "She's never **known** or **lived with** Nick during football season. Until now all his weekend attention was focused on her. Oh man!"

"Oh…" Wendy joined in the laughter. "And Nick's never had a steady girlfriend until Carrie so…he's never had to balance football and a woman. And you know he can't stand saying no to her."

"Ooh!" Several tortuous scenarios played in Paul's head. "Picture Nick watching the Cowboys and in comes Carrie." Mocking his sister's voice he stood in front of the living room TV and said, "Nicky…let's talk about wedding favors, do you want Jordan Almonds or mints?"

Taking a seat on the couch, Wendy was anxious to play the part of Nick. "Uh…Darlin'…" She craned her neck, trying to see around Paul. "…there's only fifteen seconds on the clock, Dallas is down three points and has possession. Can we do this later, please?"

Rolling his eyes Paul planted his hands on his hips. "It's just a silly game, Nicky." His laughter started to poke through. "What's more important…planning the happiest day of our life or watching football?"

"Uh…um…uh…" Wendy gripped her hair. "She's driving me nuts!"

Paul stomped his foot like a girl. "What did you say!"

Wendy intensified the thickness of her Texas twang as she stood. "Uh…I said let's have the **nuts** at the weddin'! Have I told you how much I love you yet today? I love you, Darlin'! And I'm lovin' those new shoes you have on your purty little feet." She finished with a giant smile and wink.

"Aww, Nicky…you always know what to say to make me happy." Paul giggled like a school girl. "Kiss me, you big strong man!" He rushed his wife and upon reaching her, they frantically smooched while Wendy held her eyes open pretending to watch the football game on TV.

"Bravo!" Laughing, Carrie separated them. "But Nicky and I are nothing like that."

"Yes, you are," Ryan and Sean confirmed before McKenna, who had just returned to the room, added, "Except Uncle Nick likes to put his hands on Aunt Carrie's bottom when he kisses her, and when he squeezes it hard, she makes a cute little noise."

Standing in a room full of people laughing at her Carrie blushed. "Okay…okay…that part is true."

"Sis, have you ever seen the movie Fever Pitch with Drew Barrymore?" Wendy asked while thinking…_as soon as the kids are gone, I'm continuing that kiss with my husband._

"No."

"Rent it," Paul said as his laughter slowed. "Just pretend it's about a football and not baseball and it will be like looking into a crystal ball."

**Catherine's House  
****8:12 a.m. **

As Lindsay stood in front of her mirrored closet door admiring her new seven-hundred dollar Louis Vuitton monogrammed denim shoulder bag that her grandfather let her pick from the Tempest boutique, she knew her future days at Butterfield would be much brighter.

"Where did you get that purse?" Catherine asked while stepping closer to examine it. "I've told you those knockoffs are illegal and since I'm employed by LVPD…"

"Don't pop a blood vessel…it's real."

"It's real!" Catherine shrieked. "That's a five hundred dollar bag!" Immediately her mind turned to the girls in the movie Thirteen, who stole money to fund their expensive purchases. "Where would you get the money to…"

"It was **seven** hundred dollars actually," she smirked while swinging it by her index finger. "Grandpa bought it for me."

"Grandpa?" Snatching it from her Catherine snapped, "Well, you're not keeping it."

"What? Why?"

"Because you're thirteen, and thirteen year olds shouldn't be carrying seven hundred dollar purses."

"Celine Campbell does."

"She also kicks kids out of her limo and leaves them alone on The Strip, Lindsay. She's hardly an example to follow."

"I'm not following her example," she insisted. "I'm trying to fit in at the school you insisted I attend."

"You can't tell me that every girl at Butterfield is carrying a seven hundred dollar purse."

"No…some have ones that are even more expensive!" She grabbed the bag back. "I can't believe you want to deny me a gift from my grandfather. It's bad enough I was denied knowing him for twelve of my thirteen years."

"It's not like I kept it from you, Linds…I didn't know he was my father, so I how could I tell you he was your grandfather? Gifts are fine, but…"

"Here!" She shoved a piece of paper in her mother's direction.

"What's this?"

"It's self explanatory." Lindsay secured the purse on her shoulder and watched her mother scour the figures.

**_Grandpa missed 12 years of:_**_ birthday gifts; holiday gifts; special outings; souvenirs; meals out; misc._

_Approximate figure (amortized) $100/month_

_12 years x 12 months/year 144 months of missed spending_

_144 x $100 **$14,400 missed Grandpa spending**_

Lifting her eyes off the page Catherine remarked in disbelief, "You put a **price** on your missing grandfather?"

"It's a settlement."

"A settlement?" Catherine held her throbbing head. "Don't you think that's kind of cold? How do you think he would feel if he saw this?"

"Are you kidding? Who do you think taught me about amortization and settlements? And do you really think it's a good idea to lecture me on accepting gifts from Grandpa when that bling you're wearing was funded with his cash, not Warrick's?" Grinning, Lindsay grabbed her backpack. "I thought not. Now…come along, Mother, I don't want to be late for class."

"Ugh! I feel like I'm on Survivor, and I'm being outwitted and outplayed at every challenge!" Folding up the paper she stuffed it in her pants pocket and muttered, "I swear she doesn't have an ounce of brainless Eddie in her. As soon as Greg returns from California I'm having him check her DNA."

**The Sanders House  
****8:23 a.m. **

Sitting in a guest chair in his father's home office, Greg somberly slid over the paper with the requested information. "You're right…once I put it on paper it's much more pathetic than it seemed in my head."

"Let's see." Keeping his cool, Scott picked up the sheet and studied it.

**Income:  
**Casino winnings $29,832  
Savings$ 168  
**Beginning Total $30,000**

**Expenses:  
**Tawny's Engagement ring $ 7,000  
Tawny's Diamond earrings 3,000  
Tawny's hospital bill2,000  
Tawny's community college 1,500  
Tawny's wedding budget 5,000  
(clothes/stuff/CA spending) 5,000  
**Ending Total $23,500**

**Current Balance $ 6,500**

**Future Expenses:  
**Furnish townhouse  
Car (after trade in)  
Baby stuff needed before their arrival  
Tawny breast reduction  
House fund

"Did you really have $168 in the bank, Son, or did you just add that to make it an even thirty grand?"

"I had thirty bucks, not one-sixty-eight."

"What's included in Tawny's wedding budget?"

"Her dress, shoes, accessories, salon services…"

"Ah…okay."

"She doesn't have a family to help her pay for those things," Greg explained. "And I think it's a very reasonable amount. Carrie, Nick's fiancée, is spending five grand on her dress alone. Also, depending on when we set the date, Tawny will have a few paychecks from her new job to help cover expenses. She got fired from the Cheesecake Factory on the first day of her two weeks notice because she kept vomiting from the food smells or we would have had a little more coming in these past two weeks."

"And what about the wedding itself?"

"Mom told me when she was visiting that if I ever decided to marry Tawny, since she didn't have parents to help pay, you guys would foot the entire bill."

Scott smiled. "I don't suppose your mother gave you a spending limit."

"Yes, she did." Greg laughed. "The sky."

"Tawny is a lovely girl and you're our only child…and since you're only going to be doing this once, I don't have a problem with funding a nice celebration for you."

"Thanks, Dad." He relaxed slightly. "I really want it to be everything Tawny's ever dreamed of, because she deserves a fairytale wedding after everything she's been through."

"Speaking of fairytales." Scott pointed to the future expense list. "Unless someone waves their magic wand, you're not going to be able to cover these expenses. The breast reduction alone, from a quality plastic surgeon, will take all $6,500 and more. Face it…you're living on Struggle Street and the babies haven't even arrived."

Greg ran both sets of his fingers through his hair and left them there gripping clumps.

"Please don't rip out your hair, Son…it finally looks normal."

"Good one." Releasing his locks Greg leaned forward and grabbed a pencil. "Okay…Mom insists on helping with the car because she wants something new and safe for the babies…she's calling it an engagement gift. And if Tawny saves all her paychecks, she'll have enough to pay for the breast reduction when the time comes."

"Okay." Scott put checkmarks next to each of those items. "And I'm sure Tawny will have a baby shower and get some nice things from your friends and of course your mother and me."

"That's what I was thinking too." Greg nodded and hoped his father would stick with the same calm approach. "And if we only buy essentials for the townhouse and keep all our mismatched furniture, we'll focus on a house fund until the babies are born. Then, not paying any rent for a year, if we watch our spending, I should be able to bank some money even after paying for all the baby supplies like diapers and formula…especially if I can pull some doubles and work holidays."

"**Before** the babies arrive you can put in lots of OT, but after they're here Tawny is going to need you on a regular schedule and around as much as possible. You heard Robbie…they were shocked at the amount of work and they only have one baby. She's going to need a break after being home with them all day. So, even though your job is draining, you'll need to step up."

"Actually, Tawny will be working too, so..."

"Do you have any idea how much it will cost to pay someone reputable to watch newborn twins?"

"Uh…no, I don't have a clue."

"Tawny might be working just to pay for childcare and job expenses like dry cleaning and gas for the commute. You'll need to research the cost of childcare."

"Okay." When his father kept staring at him, Greg finally caught on. "I should start a list of these things I need to do."

The proud father handed over a pen. "Great idea!" Once Greg was making notes Scott said, "And here's what I'm going to do." After placing a checkmark next to 'furnish townhouse' he leaned back in his chair. "While you're spending the day with your mother, I'm going to take Tawny to IKEA and let her buy furniture on me…that will be** my** engagement present."

"Really?" Greg stopped writing. "But you were just lecturing me on how spoiled I am and how I need to work for things on my own."

After a solid laugh Scott replied, "Why the hell do you think I'm taking her to IKEA and not a fancy furniture store? She picks, I pay, and you, my dear boy…will have to build it all. That stuff is frustrating as hell."

"Got it." He smiled at his Dad. "Sweat equity. I really appreciate it."

In a voice drenched with sincerity Scott said, "And I appreciate that you did some very responsible things when you found out Tawny was pregnant. As I predicted yesterday…once the shock wore off, I was able to focus on the things you did right." Clearing his throat Scott said, "After your nightmare I wasn't able to sleep so, I went into your old room and did some thinking…and remembering. Are you up for a few questions?"

Swallowing hard, Greg nodded. "Yeah…whatever you want to know."

"Tawny said you declined her offer to abort the pregnancy…"

"Well…um…" Glancing down he admitted, "Initially, I thought an abortion would be best, but I was nervous about it because, obviously, it's not something you can take back and I already had made one mistake I couldn't take back and was haunted by it. Anyway…before I could decide for sure if I could go through with it, I realized she was only doing it for me. That's when I said no way…because I couldn't make her do something she didn't believe in for my benefit. I would have carried that guilt around for the rest of my life and it would have eaten me alive over time. Now that we're in love and so excited about having the babies I feel guilty every time I think that I considered an abortion." Returning his gaze to his father's Greg quietly asked, "Do you think I'll carry that around forever? Will I be taking pictures at their birthday party and think…hey, if it had been up to me, there's a good chance you might not have been born?"

Scott took a moment to ponder the question then rose from his chair, shut his office door and locked it.

"Are you going to yell?" Greg tensed while checking for an alternate escape route and regretting the risk he just took by opening up to the man who scared the hell out of him.

"No…I'm not going to yell. I'm going to make a confession…something that will be shared only between father and son. Something I've not spoken of since I was in college, and something I've never told your mother. I think it will explain a lot about my behavior."

"Um…okay." Greg moved to the edge of his seat while his father sat on the end of his desk.

"Forty years ago, when I was a freshman…long before I met your mother, my girlfriend and I were in the back of my car and got a little carried away while parked at the local Lover's Lane."

"You got her pregnant?" Greg asked in a voice thick with wonder.

"Yes." Scott hung his head in shame. "That's why when I got you your first car I took all that time to educate you on safe sex, buy you the condoms and beat you over the head that you should **never **take a risk. I didn't want you to make the same mistake I made, Son. That's why I was disappointed last night…and so angry."

"I'm shocked." Greg crashed back against the chair. "I grew up thinking you never made a mistake in your life."

"When you're a parent, you'll know how it feels…you don't want your kids to make the same mistakes you did, so you do everything in your power to prevent it." Sighing he added, "Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out."

"What happened?" In a moment of panic he asked, "Wait…do I have a half sibling you never told me about?"

"No…I wish that was the scenario." After a deep breath Scott revealed the rest of the story. "Mary…my girlfriend, insisted on an abortion even though I offered to marry her. She was certain her father would kill us both if he found out, and she wanted us to have a chance at finishing school. Once she put it that way, I was all for it. I worked to get the money for the procedure and I drove her there and back…she cried the whole night. It was hell and after that, she never spoke to me again…she couldn't even look at me from across campus. I felt terrible but, eventually I put it behind me and moved on. One day, years later when I was in my third year of medical school, a friend called and told me Mary committed suicide."

"Damn…" The twist surprising him, Greg gripped the arms of the chair.

"She didn't leave a note. People who knew her at the time said she was quiet and kept to herself." Blowing out a breath Scott somberly remarked, "She was the opposite when I knew her…so vibrant…like your mom. It led me to believe that how we handled the pregnancy ruined her peace of mind and ultimately her life. I still carry around that guilt with me today and when your mother and I lost our first two babies, I couldn't help but feel it was punishment for my choices."

"Wow…uh…" Although the story itself was startling, the fact that his father was sharing something so personal was even more so, and on top of that was his personal suicide experience. In a shaky voice Greg cautiously treaded, "Sometimes people fall into a hole…a dark place, so dark they can't see any solutions so they um…decide to end the pain once and for all." Suddenly fearful of continuing, he cleared his throat and casually said, "That's what I learned from processing those cases."

"Yeah...I did quite a bit of reading on the topic myself." Slipping into the chair next to his stunned son, Scott said, "The point of me telling you this, aside from explaining why I was **so **adamant that you be responsible, and **so** ticked off when I found out you weren't…is to let you know that while you may feel guilt from time to time over **considering **the option, it's nothing in comparison to what you'd be feeling if Tawny had done something she didn't really want to do. And, Greg, even if you thought you could initially, you don't know what you would have done when you arrived at the clinic with her. In my gut I have a feeling that you would have changed your mind because, as emotional as Tawny is, she would have fallen to pieces in front of you…and the one thing you've always consistently been is a sensitive and compassionate guy. So…with that in mind, try to let go of the guilt and focus on what you did right. I was particularly impressed that you asked Tawny to move in so you could look after her, even when you weren't sure you could make it a go romantically."

"Hey…if you can see some good in my actions…I know I can." His smile lit up the room.

"Good." Reaching out, Scott placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I hope you realize that I wouldn't have shared my darkest secret with you if I didn't believe I could trust you. I'm not going to treat you like a child anymore, Greg, because it's critical that you be an adult. We have a ways to go but, I'm enjoying the fresh start."

"I'm shocked that we're talking like this and now that we are, it's even more shocking that it feels really good." Smiling, he said, "Tawny is a big fan of yours and she's been telling me I need to drop the animosity and give things a chance between us. I'm glad I listened to her and Robbie."

"Me too. After seeing you in the throes of that night terror…" Pulling his son in for a hug Scott whispered, "I'm here any time you need to…"

"Hey! Why did you lock me out?" Bev's voice shot through the door. "Scott, you better not have him tied to chair while you curse at him."

"I'm fine, Mom." Greg pulled back from his father's embrace. "I'm just chillin' and bonding with Dad."

"Okay, while you wrap that up, I'm going to head out and see how many dogs and cats are playing in the street together."

**Crime Lab  
****8:41 a.m. **

"Dog hair," Hodges informed Grissom as he handed over his report. "Dalmatian."

"That helps." Grissom rolled his eyes and snatched the paper. "So, all we have from Carrie's card is that it came from Seattle and from someone with access to Dalmatian hair."

"I'll be really impressed if you figure out whodunit from that," Hodges replied while moving on to his next task. "You know…it's not my job to do your job for you, Grissom, but…assuming the card is a set up, it seems to me that whoever sent it…cough-Rodgers-cough…wants us to think that it's one of Carrie's old death threat people from Seattle."

"I figured that out in the first three seconds." With a grimace on his face Grissom marched for the door.

"**But**…" Hodges leaned against the counter and let his smirk unfurl. "Did you know that the church she brought down included a member who bred Dalmatians for show? I did…I knew that before I knew there was Dalmatian hair in the envelope."

Backing up Grissom turned and confessed, "No…I didn't know that."

"Hmm." He fell silent.

"I'm sorry, David." Working up the strength, he groveled, "I appreciate and welcome your contributions. The Crime Lab is lucky to have you."

"Sucking up doesn't come natural for you. That sounded really forced."

"Because it was."

Folding his arms tightly Hodges replied, "Brutal honesty on the other hand, is something you do quite well…however inappropriately."

Losing his patience Grissom leaned closer. "Tell me about the Dalmatian breeder before I spout off **101 **reasons The Crime Lab is unlucky to have you."

"Penny Healy…" From his desk he retrieved a printed newspaper article. "She's the sister of the Pastor of the church Carrie brought down. In this article it mentions that Ms. Healy is the President of _Dalmatian Save_, a rescue and adoption program." Handing it over he said, "I Googled her…she's a breeder of them too…in a suburb of guess where?"

"Seattle." Grissom scanned the article. "What made you do this research? Are you going to pull a Greg and ask to move from the lab to the field?"

"Are you kidding?" Hodges laughed from the belly. "You guys get shot at and trapped in basements. No thanks, I'll stick with the occasional lab explosion."

"So, why the research?" Then it hit him and he postured. "Ah…so you could impress me."

"Sorry…that's so yesterday." Hodges pointed to his watch. "I work Days now. As soon as I moved under Nick's supervision I needed to find the best way to suck up to **him**. In case you don't know, there are only two ways to suck up to Nick. Talking football…"

"…and talking Carrie…you researched her accomplishments." Grissom held up the article. "Thank you."

"Hey, Grissom! If you visit Nick today, make sure you tell him I hope A&M wins on Saturday!"

**University Trauma Center  
****9:27 a.m. **

"You rock, Sara!" Nick flashed a brilliant smile as he inspected the A&M boxers and t-shirt she brought him along with a sign that said _You've Entered_ _Aggie Territory_. "Where did you find this stuff?"

"That new sports memorabilia and clothing store on The Strip. The clothes are new even though they don't have tags," she felt compelled to explain. "I washed them because I wanted you to be able to wear them in the hospital. I have this thing about wearing underwear without washing them first because…"

"They scratch the crap out of your balls?"

"I was going to say it freaks me out that strangers could have touched them." Cracking up Sara took a seat on the edge of the bed. "I see you haven't lost your sense of humor in the ordeal."

"Nope." Holding his new prize possessions he added, "Just five percent of my spleen, ninety percent of my respect for my brother, and one hundred percent of my dignity…because I had to have Hal the nurse holding me while I tried to take a leak, and Eileen the ICU nurse feel up my naked body every fifteen minutes while my hands and feet were tied to the ICU bed."

"Ooh." Her hands raced to her mouth.

"Yeah."

"Which won out as most traumatic? Your abuse PTSD or your homophobia?"

"I'm not homophobic, Sara," he droned. "I just don't like men touching me, checking out my body or hitting on me, because it gives me the creeps."

"You do realize that **homo** means man and **phobia** means fear…man fear."

"Okay, Miss Harvard." He rolled his eyes. "What I meant was…I don't have a problem with guys who enjoy that sort of thing with **each other**, just leave me out of it." Smiling he added, "And please don't tell me that you think my issue is based on some latent homosexual tendency that I haven't confronted." Clenching a pillow over his sore gut like he had been shown to do by Hal, he cracked up. "I'm already dealing with quite a bit of repressed shit already, so how about we save that one for a rainy day?"

"Fair enough." Laughing with him she asked, "Who's your therapist?"

"My primary one is Carrie…she's been helping me fix my head since our first date. But after this recent incident I brought in a specialist…" He showed off his rubber band. "…my Uncle Jimmy gave me this and told me to snap it every time I feel a compulsion I need to eradicate."

"So he saved you physically and now he's saving you mentally, huh?"

"That's why he's my new best man."

"Since I'm the Matron of Honor, I'm very psyched about that move." Sara grabbed the bag of M&Ms she brought and opened them. "Jim will be great at tossing out some humor when you and Carrie are bawling your eyes out on the altar exchanging vows."

"Are you kidding?" Nick scoffed. "I'm not cryin' in front of two hundred people, Sara."

"Hundred bucks." She couldn't think of an easier way to earn cash.

Without hesitation he shook her extended hand. "I'll use that hundred bucks on my honeymoon."

"Speaking of crying…" She grabbed another handful of M&Ms. "Carrie told me you two had your first real fight…by** real** I mean not a tiff over napkin color."

"Damn, that really flipped me out. Luckily I was still on my morphine drip at the time. I sincerely hope that doesn't happen again any time soon…preferably never." Shifting gingerly against the pillows he said, "I found out the major problem with loving someone…you have something to lose. Previous to Carrie if a woman threatened to walk out on me it would have meant we spent a few less **hours **together than planned…not a lifetime less."

"Did she bring you these very masculine red heart-shaped balloons floating around your room?" She laughed with him.

"She felt guilty yelling at me when I was lying in bed looking like a science experiment. But mostly she was just scared like me."

"I can empathize. My first fight with Gil shook me to the core."

"What did you guys fight about?"

After glancing over her shoulder she answered, "Lady Heather. You were there for the start of it…although you didn't know what was going down. It was that night we were processing at that sex club and I bit your head off before tearing out of there."

"I remember that," he said with surprise. "So that's what happened."

"It wasn't about them being together...I mean I was with a bunch of guys before coming to Vegas and..."

"And then you decided to save yourself for Gris," he teased.

"Mister Abstinence, you should know the benefits of saving yourself. I bet after your eight month self-imposed drought, it felt pretty damn good when you got together with Carrie."

"Hey, it wasn't just the wait that made it great, it was the company." He grinned wildly. "Okay the eight months without a woman contributed to the rush too."

Sara couldn't resist the tease. "And actually being in love with the girl for once in your life probably augmented the experience a bit," she snickered. "So, imagine finally falling into bed with the person of your dreams after a **five year** drought. The Earth moved, my friend."

"I'm sure it did," he laughed.

"Fights are scary while they're happening but afterwards you can feel closer than ever. That's what happened after our other biggie…last month."

His voice drifted, "When you disappeared on me and surfaced in Tahoe."

"Yeah. I'm really glad you didn't disappear on me this week, Bro." Caught off guard by the sudden emotion building, she took his hand. "Damn pregnancy hormones."

"Definitely time for a hug." Tugging her close he whispered, "Hey, there was no way I was going to check out early and miss the birth of Baby Gris." When he heard her sniffle Nick added, "Because I have five hundred bucks to collect from Greg upon that baby's birth."

"Greg bet you five hundred bucks that I'd never have a baby with Gil?"

"I caught him way back when he was still twitter-painted by ya'…his ego was on the line. He insisted that it would be** his** seed you demanded one day."

"Speaking of the release of his seed costing him money…at the rate he's spending money on Tawny, he'll have to borrow cash from his mommy to pay you."

**San Marino, CA  
****9:47 a.m. **

After singing scales with his mother during the drive, Greg pulled up to the main entrance of her school. Thanks to Tawny's pre-California shopping spree, he was stylin' in Ezra Fitch jeans, a vintage Abercrombie muscle-fit button down in pale purple with white and black stripes, and a new pair of sexy Ray-Ban shades that she said gave him a bad boy vibe.

"I want a grande non-fat iced mocha latte," Bev stated as she grabbed her bags and exited the Mercedes. "You need some hot green tea." Rolling her eyes she grumbled, "Maybe after you drink it, we'll find where you're hiding your vibrato."

"Okay."

"You know the drill…run the rest of the scales."

In his alto/bass voice he sang for her, "Lolli, lolli, lolli, lolli, lolli, lolli, pop!"

"Good boy." Smiling, she shut the door to the convertible and waved.

"See you in a few," he cheerily replied. As soon as he pulled out of the parking lot, he grabbed a CD he had burned years ago and found in his old room that morning. It was titled, _Music My Mom Hates_ and after slipping it into the player, he forwarded directly to Battle Flag by Pigeonhed, turned up the volume, andcrooned along to profanity laced song with a level of intensity and emotional commitment his mother would admire...if he were singing a Sondheim show tune.

At the first instrumental break, Greg played the drums on the steering wheel while stopped at a red light. That's when he realized there was a car in the lane next to him and when he saw who it was he did a double take.

"Hey, Hoj!" Becca called over from behind the wheel of her salsa-red Jag XK convertible. "I see you still like to rock out at red lights…cute. But you know your mommy wouldn't like you listening to that song."

Without saying a word, he tossed a Hollywood nod and when the light turned green he punched the gas. The irony of the lyrics alluding to a need for getting awaywasn't lost on him.

Pulling into the Starbuck's lot he parked in the first space he saw, jumped out of the car and made a beeline for the café.

After ordering, he moved to the pick-up area and leaned against the rail.

"Nice wheels," Becca announced through a smirk while standing behind Greg. "What the hell, Hoj? The other night you get pissed because I notice your Z and call me a materialistic bitch, then you go out and buy a car that costs twice as much? Hypocrite!"

"It's a rental," he replied without turning.

"So…what does that say about you? You're into **temporary** materialism?" Eyeing him she focused on his ass. "And I don't think you got those two-hundred dollar jeans at Wal-mart. I stand by my original judgement…hypocrite!"

"Grande, iced, non-fat mocha latte and a grande hot green tea," the counter worker called out.

"That's me." Greg returned his sunglasses to his face, stepped forward and claimed the two cups. When he turned he shrugged at Becca. "I can't chat. I have a lady waiting on me."

"Say hi to your mommy for me," she quipped before chuckling.

"You're hilarious," he droned.

With a devilish glint in her eye she replied, "And you're sexy as hell in those shades."

Turning, he walked toward the propped-open side door. "Leaving!"

"Following!"

"Ignoring!"

"Failing!"

"Dreaming!"

Out on the sidewalk they both cracked up and she said, "A little of our old high school hall talk…how nostalgic." When she saw his sweet smile, Becca posed against the side of the building. "I knew you couldn't stay mad at me for long, Hojie…you never could."

"Yeah, well…you know me…I'm a sensitive guy." His guilt returning Greg softly said, "I'm really sorry about scaring you the other night. I should know better than to lose it with a woman when she's naked and vulnerable. I can only imagine what you were thinking I might do. That was totally uncool."

"You know what they say…" she spoke in a breathy voice. "…there's a fine line between love and hate and that was some top notch passion you exhibited, Hoj." Placing her palms on his chest she gazed into his eyes. "I never would have believed you had it in you if I hadn't been on the receiving end. And that's exactly where I want to be again in the future…the receiving end of your passion."

"Becca…" Tightly clutching the cups in his hands he stared at her. "Look…there's something I want you to know, especially before you see me at the club tomorrow with…"

"Oh shit!" Glancing at her watch Becca squealed, "I was on my way to meet a client when I saw you. My ass will be in a sling if I'm late. But here's a little something to make you miss me…" Grabbing his face she stole a kiss from his lips. "I'll call you!"

"No! Becca! I need to…"

"Sorry!

"No! Get back here!"

"That's all you're getting this morning, Baby! Think of it as a little **payback** for your big tease the other night!" she yelled as she ran for her car. After jumping inside, she revved the engine then pulled up to the curb where he was standing gape-mouthed. "Damn it, Hoj! I **swore** I wouldn't chase you, but I can't help myself…especially not after feeling the raging sexual energy between us just now. Mmm! To be continued…"

"Unbelievable," he muttered while watching her peel away. "Unbelievable! What is with you never letting me finish what I have to say! Raging sexual energy? Are you kidding me!" He continued to yell long after she was gone, "I'm getting **engaged** this weekend to the love of my life and you're going to have a front row seat, Becks! **Tawny** is now, and always will be, the **only **recipient of my raging sexual energy! And I'm not really a sexy bad ass! I'm a geek in cool clothing!" That's when he noticed two women sitting at an outdoor table laughing hysterically at him. "Honestly…did you see any **raging sexual energy** just now? No, right?"

"She's got it** bad **for you, Baby," Carmen, a stunning twenty-five year old Latina woman wearing a tight black tank and some nice bling informed him while lowering her shades a notch. "Baaaaaaaad."

In a panicky voice he inquired, "But no reciprocation on my behalf, right? Because I'm madly in love with my girlfriend. I'm counting the minutes until I slip my ring on her finger. As a matter of fact, I'm on my way to practice my proposal, that's how determined I am to make it spectacular for her. I mean seriously, how…"

"Chill, Romeo…I didn't see any reciprocation." Carmen laughed as she lifted her Venti. "But I think the chick in the Jag would answer differently. Girlfriend has a one track mind and you better derail her quick, you **sexy bad ass**." Saying it out loud while looking at the poser cracked her up all over again. "Sorry…you're way too sweet to be a bad ass."

"Thanks for the compliment," he replied in a sunny voice while heading for his car.

"But I still think you're sexy!" Carmen added with a wink for good measure. "Love those jeans on you, Hoj! What the hell kind of name is that anyway?"

"I'm a** Scandinavian** Bad Ass." Laughing he replied, "And why weren't all you gorgeous women checking out my ass when I was single!"

Carmen's friend Tyra fielded that one. "My guess would be that you reeked of desperation and didn't know how to dress yourself back then. But now that you have a honey who boosts your self-esteem and Garanimals your clothes…you're walking tall and sending off a totally different vibe."

**Butterfield Academy  
****10:04 a.m. **

With slumped shoulders, Sean trudged across campus to attend English class with his nemesis Lindsay Willows and her equally nasty pal Celine.

"Sean…" With a saccharine smile, Celine Campbell stepped in front of the moping boy.

He knew better than to engage her, so he just kept quiet and moved out of her way.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday!" she called out in a voice dripping with sincerity as he continued walking.

Determined not to take the bait, Sean didn't reply.

"Lindsay made me embarrass you!"

"What?" He stopped in his tracks.

"She set the whole thing up yesterday." Celine rushed over. "She told me to call you a dealbreaker." Dropping her gaze to the grass below her feet she feigned sadness. "I know I shouldn't have succumbed to peer pressure but…" Sniffling temporarily replaced her words. "I have my reputation as a popular girl to protect, and Lindsay threatened to destroy me."

"Are you crying?" Sean stepped off the path and joined her on the grass.

"This always happens." Swatting a pretend tear she woefully explained, "Last year I got blamed for locking some naked guy out of the locker room just because I went along with a prank. People always want to bring down the beautiful, rich, popular girl."

"I heard about the naked guy."

"See!" She covered her face. "It's so easy to get a bad reputation."

Shaking his head he empathized, "Tell me about it. Everyone around here thinks I'm a geek, when really I'm just a nice guy who can't help it that he's smart…no more than you can help being beautiful or rich."

"Aww…I think you're a great guy, Sean," Celine lied in her best Disney Princess voice. "Hey…I have this crazy idea. Maybe if we hung out together, people would think I'm less bitchy and you not so geeky, because we'd each be making up for what the other person was missing."

"Like unpaired electrons looking for balance, we could attach to each other to become stable!"

For a moment she wasn't sure she could go through with the ruse but she pushed on. "Yes!"

"You're not teasing me, are you?" Sean asked, hoping the answer was no.

"No way."

"Then I think it's a great idea!" When she started walking towards class he followed.

"Sean…"

"Yes?"

"So, what do you know about Lindsay Willows?" Celine stealthily inquired. "I'm trying to understand what makes her so mean, so maybe I can reach out and help her at some point. Have you met her father?"

"He father died in a car wreck but her parents were divorced before that happened. Now, she lives with her mother and her mother's boyfriend Warrick Brown. She calls him her step dad even though her mother isn't legally married to him. They both work at the Crime Lab with my Uncle Nick."

Celine's natural smirk popped up on her lips. "Do you want to sit next to me in English class?"

"Sure!" A girl had never asked him to sit with her before and he was thrilled.

"You said your families know each other so, tell me…is Lindsay always bad, or is she just that way at school?"

"She tackled my brother Ryan onto his bed on Sunday and tried to have sex with him. They got caught when my brother started yelling at her." Immediately he covered his mouth. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to tell that to anyone. It was a blurt. I'm working on controlling those."

"Don't worry…" It was difficult to contain her glee. "…I won't tell her you told me."

**University Trauma Center  
****10:15 a.m. **

"Howdy, Darlin'!" Nick anxiously greeted his fiancée from his hospital bed.

Having learned from his family during her Dallas visit that the greeting must always be returned with equal zeal, she enthusiastically echoed, "Howdy!" She hadn't heard him use it since the trip and figured it must be his family rubbing off on him.

"I missed ya."

As soon as she stepped into the room, Carrie swore she could hear her brother yelling 'I told you so' even though he was across town.

"Check it out!" Nick cheerily ordered as he whipped off his bed sheet. "Sara didn't only get me an Aggie t-shirt, she got me boxers too! It feels great being out of that damn hospital gown. And did you see the sign?" He pointed to where Sara had tacked it up on the patient greeting card corkboard. "Won't it look great on our new house?"

"You've Entered Aggie Territory," she read with feigned enthusiasm. "I guess it depends on the color of the house we buy…"

"Lookie here, Darlin'…" Nick pulled out another t-shirt from under the sheet. "Sara didn't forget about you. She had this one custom made."

With trepidation she unfurled the maroon tee and read the words imprinted above and below the A&M logo. "I love my…Aggie guy."

"You can wear it Saturday during the game," he suggested with unbridled enthusiasm. "How exciting…our first game together."

"I can't wait!" she exclaimed with feigned zeal as she panicked that her weekends as she knew them were over.

"What do you have in the bag, Darlin'?"

"Oh…uh."

"Show me!" he prodded like an impatient boy.

"A portable DVD player and I rented a movie that Paul said we should watch because..."

"Dodgeball?" Holding out his hand he eagerly waited to peruse the contents of the Blockbuster Video bag. When your brother was here yesterday he said it was hilarious and Andy's seen it several times on plane flights…they were quoting lines."

"Uh…no. I can get that one tomorrow for you though."

"Fever Pitch." He held up the box. "Thanks for rentin' me a baseball movie, Sweetheart." Gingerly scooting over he patted the bed. "Let's snuggle up and watch. Since I can't eat popcorn, I'll have to share my tapioca pudding with you."

**Crime Lab – Break Room  
****10:22 a.m. **

"When was the last time you ate?" Sofia asked Sara when she saw her furiously spooning scoops of something into her mouth. "What is that anyway?"

"Tapioca pudding." She tossed the second empty container into the trash. "I watched Nick eating some earlier and I started to crave it." After licking her lips, she quipped, "Surely you can understand seeing Nick and suddenly having an urge."

"Oh! Good one! " Clapping her hands she nodded approvingly. "Especially coming from you because I'd expect it from Brass or Catherine."

"Thank you." Opening a third container she explained, "The craving was so bad, I had to stop at the store on the way in to buy some."

"Wouldn't it be better even better with a pickle?" Sofia joked.

"Ooh. That does sound good now that you mention it." She headed for the fridge to see if someone had left a jar.

"Sofia…have you seen Sara?" Grissom asked when he popped his head into the Break Room.

"She's ransacking the fridge for pickles."

"Very funny." He rolled his eyes at the snipe.

"She's not kidding!" Sara yelled as she stood victoriously holding a jar. "There's one left…and, no, you may not steal my pickle for a science experiment."

When Sofia saw Grissom burst into a smile she hustled for the door. "Oh, hell…I'll get morning sickness if I watch the two of you grin at each other for too long."

"Buh-bye," Grissom stated as she whizzed past. "I'm still getting over the shock of finding out Nick slept with her. I curse Jim for telling me. What the hell was Nick thinking? I can't stand listening to her for more than a minute."

After swallowing her first pickle bite Sara chuckled, "Methinks there wasn't a lot of talking going on, other than one-word declarative statements…yes…more…faster…"

"Stop…please…quiet." Gil held up his hand. "Because the visual forming in my mind's eye is giving **me** morning sickness."

"I'd watch what you say about Sofia." Sara dipped her pickle in the tub of tapioca and whirled it around. "Irving might drop a weight on your toe on purpose. They're going out again tonight and it sounds like they've really hit it off."

"Ugh…that reminds me." Gil glanced at his watch. "I have a training session after work today and I'm not in the mood to pretend I'm a jock."

**Butterfield Academy  
****10:45 a.m. **

At the ring of the bell, Bo Nelson, a junior, terrible student, and Butterfield's best baseball player, walked up to Celine's locker and posed. "What's with the puppy following you around?"

"This is my new friend, Sean Blake," Celine corrected.

"If he's your friend…" Bo laughed at the absurd concept. "…then why isn't he coming to your party on Saturday night?"

"Oh…" Cursing Bo, she glanced over at Sean and offered a smile. "Since I just met you, I haven't had a chance to…"

"That's okay." Sean clutched his backpack strap a little tighter. "I couldn't make it anyway."

"Why?" Bo guffawed in the gangly boy's face. "Your mommy doesn't let you stay out past eight?"

"No, because I'll be watching the first Aggie game of the season with my uncle. He used to play Running Back for them."

"Dude! No way!" Bo pushed Celine out of the way. "That's where I want to play college baseball."

"My uncle, his brother, his father and his grandfather all went there. His father currently lectures there too, when he's not sitting on the Supreme Court of Texas. My Uncle Nick said, because of their connections, A&M would roll out the red carpet for me if I want to go there…but I have my sights set on Stanford for pre-med and medical school and then completing my residency in Forensic Pathology."

"Damn…you have all that figured out and you're only in 7th grade? Dude…that's so..." Bo tossed his arm around his new best friend and reminded himself to be nice. "Welcome to Butterfield, Steve."

"It's Sean," he corrected.

"Sean."

Just then Lindsay walked by and sneered at Celine, making sure she saw her new $700 purse.

"Look who it is!" Celine called out. "Lindsay Willows…Butterfield's new resident slut."

The crowd in the hall quieted and no one was stiller than Sean.

"Excuse me?" Lindsay postured in front of Celine. "You're the one who wears a g-string under her uniform."

"You do?" Bo asked in a wondrous tone, forgetting sports for just a moment.

"I most certainly do not!"

"Liar!" Lindsay spat. "She wears a black g-string with butterflies on it!"

"See for yourself!" Turning, Celine lifted her skirt to show off her demure panties with the word Thursday on the butt surrounded by cheery flowers.

"She is a liar," Sean remarked when he saw how hurt Celine was by Lindsay's crude accusation. "She jumped my brother in his bedroom and when they got caught she said **he** was the one who wanted to have sex. Luckily, my uncle is a Criminalist and he proved my brother innocent by examining the evidence." Feeling protective of his brother, Sean said, "Can you believe it? Until proven guilty, Lindsay just stood there letting Ryan take the heat even though she knew he'd be in trouble and my parents wouldn't let him play football. She can't be trusted."

"See…" Celine tossed her silken hair off her shoulder. "…just like I said…she's a lying slut. I hear that's the reason her mommy put her here. She was caught giving BJ's to half the football team at Desert Mountain."

"That's not true!" Lindsay screamed while every student glared at her.

"You've already been proven a liar twice, Sweetie," Celine mercilessly pointed out. "Do you really think anyone is going to believe you or stand up for you?"

Lindsay looked to Sean as her eyes filled with tears. "Tell them that's not true."

Sean sadly replied, "The evidence doesn't lie, Lindsay…and why should I be nice to you when all you've done is hurt my feelings every time I've tried to be your friend?"

As the first hot tear slipped down her cheek she took off down the hall.

"So, Steve…"

"Sean."

"Right." Bo walked him down the hall. "How would you like to sit at the jock table at lunch today? And you should know…considering you're in seventh grade, it's a huge deal. But I take care of my friends."

"I'd love to!" Sean gushed with excitement while rejoicing that day two was turning out much better than day one.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Lindsay's karmic lesson learning has begun. That $700 purse didn't do much to help her. More to come…

A note on Sean…he's a genius, except when it comes to people. I write him with a slight Asperger's quality (very high functioning Autistic with social skills issues.). Several people who read my story and have Aspie kids recognized it in Sean very quickly. I have one myself. For a kid like Sean, social skills need to be taught like you would teach math. One teaching method is called **social stories **and I've had the people who 'train' Sean (Gil, Nick, Ryan) telling him these things, not formally on a storyboard, but in conversations. (i.e. Gil's first meeting with Sean and his lesson on 'don't upset the apes'). They focus on 'when X happens or is said, you should do or say Y'. When things are factual/black and white, Sean has no problem, but give him some grey and he's in trouble. Because Lindsay vacillates from nice to mean, he can't figure her out. Along comes Celine who appears to be honestly upset and then factually backs up her story, proving Lindsay a liar. Poor Sean takes that information and filters it against his facts…Lindsay lied in Ryan's bedroom, Ryan telling him to stay away because she's not trustworthy. Voila! Celine is good, Lindsay is bad and the world is once more black and white. He's in a social learning mode and he'll be asking a lot of questions…some serious, some hilarious and some VERY awkward. LOL

Carrie has a new t-shirt! If Nick really wants to invoke the team spirit in her, he'll buy her some logo shoes. LOL

I hope the GS fans enjoyed the tribute to the pickle/science experiment scene.

Becca…if only she'd LISTEN. Oh well…she'll find out soon enough and I'm sure you'll all feel bad for her when she realizes her Hoj does indeed have a lady. LOL

**Thanks to:** Misty-J and Rojaji for leaving reviews. Much appreciated!

**KJT is baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!** So, if you see typos, blame her. J Having her gone for 10 days made it crystal clear how important she is to this story! Welcome back!

**Next Chapter:** Scott takes Tawny out on the town…more Butterfield action…Greg cycles through some ups and downs…Jillian finds out about a secret sub-culture (LOL)…Ron calls Gil for help and gets a re-direct…Mike gets a visit from his attorney…Carrie finally comes clean about her football widow fear…**Posting: **Saturday morning.

**Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, **

**Maggs**


	20. Chapter 20

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 20**

**September 1, 2005  
****San Marino Family Dentistry  
****10:54 a.m. **

"Morning, Ladies," Scott cheerily greeted his front office staff.

"What are you doing here today?" Lily, his office manager for the last twenty years, inquired, "You're supposed to be spending time with your family."

"I am." Taking Tawny by the hand he introduced her. "Everyone…this is Tawny Cooper, Greg's girlfriend…although I have a hunch she'll have a new title by Monday. Tawny, this is Lily, Veronica and Maria. They keep things running for me and my partners, Brian and Dave."

"Nice to meet you." With a sunny smile and a demure wave she greeted them.

"Nice chompers," Lily exclaimed while flashing her smile in return. "Wow…working that public service job really must have boosted Greg's karma because you're quite a catch, Ms. Cooper."

"I think I'm pretty lucky myself," she gushed.

"Can you start a file for her and prep a room so I can examine and clean her teeth?"

"Okay, I'll need a few minutes to juggle things." Lily pointed down the hall. "You can do films right now though. Bonnie is…"

"No films, she already had some this year." Squeezing her hand he said, "I'll show you my office until the room is ready."

As soon as they were out of earshot the girls huddled and Veronica said, "She's pregnant."

"No doubt," Maria concurred. "There's no way Scott wouldn't take films on a new patient…especially an important one."

Veronica chuckled, "Wow…I wonder how Bev is dealing with her precious little boy bringing another woman into his life? Or how she's coping with her baby having a baby?"

"I'd love to be a fly on the wall in their house," Lily remarked while grabbing a new patient packet. "But I'm happy for Scott…now he'll have someone to keep him company when Bev monopolizes Greggy's time."

**Performing Arts High School  
****San Marino  
****11:01 a.m. **

"In the words of Simon Cowell…" Bev faked her best British accent. "If I'm being honest…that was dreadful.I hope you've mistaken this for karaoke because you're drunk, otherwise I pity your eardrums if you actually think you are singing. Never mind a cruise ship, not even a dinner theater would hire you, Gregory."

"What!" He thought, on this sixth run through, he nailed it. "Are you sure?"

"Just kidding!" Jumping up from her seat at the piano she shrieked, "Tawny's heart is going to melt when she hears you sing that to her."

"You scared the crap out of me!"

"Hi, Mrs. Sanders!" Kendall Rios greeted as she entered the rehearsal room with her two senior classmates, Dawn and Cambree. "Sorry we're a few minutes late."

"Who are they?" Greg asked before smiling at the three perky school girls grinning at him.

"My best vocalists and…your backup singers."

"Backup singers?"

"When I re-worked the song from a duet to a solo I needed to compensate. Plus, you can't have dead air while you're popping the question." Bev winked at her surprised boy. "I even arranged for a few other surprises to make it extra spectacular for Tawny."

"Mrs. Sanders…" Cambree took Greg's arm and batted her eyes at him. "You need to update your office pictures. He looks totally different."

"I'll say." Dawn took his other arm and fought for his attention. "He's a hottie."

Bev wasted no time peeling the girls off her blushing son. "Yes, he is. He's also here practicing his **marriage proposal**, remember, girls? And besides, according to California law…you're jail bait…at least for a few more months."

"I'm not," Cambree reminded her favorite teacher. "I turned eighteen last week."

"Speak, Son," Bev prodded with her voice and firm shove.

"Sorry…" He had been caught up in the old High School fantasy of girls fighting for the chance to date him. "Ladies…if this were 1992, I'd be stoked but…"

"I was only four in 1992," Kendall announced in a giggle.

"Holy shit!" Greg blurted. "When did I get so old!"

"Watch your language, Son." Bev returned to the piano grinning. "It must have happened when you were sleeping. Good thing you'll be getting married next month, Rip Van Winkle." Clapping her hands she said, "Girls…you know your places and your parts. Greg…stand on the red X. I want to run through it twice before the musicians arrive."

"Musicians?" Greg couldn't believe how much arranging she had done.

"Just violins, a cello and a pianist…because I want to be in the audience watching, not accompanying you."

"Oh…" Suddenly tension gripped his body. "Whoa…musicians, backup singers and whatever else you've got up your sleeve."

"And don't forget…you'll be performing in front of a large crowd." When she saw the color drain from his face she reminded him, "How and when was **your **idea, remember? And really Gregory…why do the most important thing you'll ever do in your life half-assed when you can make it a showstopper?"

"I'm changing my mind." Gulping for air he said, "I'm just going to do it tonight on the beach like I originally thought I…."

"Yeah…I don't think so." Bev started playing the intro. "I went to all this trouble and you're going through with it the way you planned. Your father lectured me for an hour last night on how I'm too easy on you. I've turned over a new leaf, Son…I'm practicing tough love now."

"Mom!" The stage fright consumed him. "Please!"

"Ha! Only I can unlock the dresser and produce the ring so you better **sing**!" After he completed the first line she commented, "Your nerves are helping your vibrato and look…the girls are melting. See, mother knows best…if you had kept singing, you would have had a date for your prom."

**University Trauma Center  
****11:17 a.m. **

"Holy First Date from Hell, Batman!" The painkillers flowing through his veins Nick gave a carefree laugh and pointed to the portable DVD player poised on the table over the bed. "That poor guy, I can't believe he cleaned her puke covered bathroom and brushed the dog's teeth after it licked up her vomit. Then again, I would have done that for you on our first date if you had gotten food poisoning…and had a dog."

Snuggling closer Carrie blissfully sighed, "It reminds me of when you held my hair for me when I was getting sick in Wendy's bathroom after her dog ate Ashley's poopy diaper that night when Gil and Sara came for dinner."

Caressing her cheek he sweetly said, "And right after that, you told me you loved me for the first time."

"And you placed a damp washcloth on my forehead…" In the middle of her swoon she saw the character of Ben waking up in his Boston Red Sox memorabilia plastered bedroom….wearing a t-shirt and boxers touting his favorite team's logo. "Uh…what do you think of that bedroom?"

"I want one just like it in our new house, but Aggie theme of course."

Masking her hysteria she calmly asked, "You do?"

"Mr. Stokes," Darla, the same cute twenty year old dietary tech who delivered liquid breakfast entered smiling. "Lunch time and I've got solids."

"Whoop!" Removing his arm from around Carrie, he prepared to dig in. "I don't care what it is, as long as I can chew it."

"What are you guys watching?" Darla asked as she carefully moved the player to the side of the table to make room for the tray."

"Fever Pitch," Carrie answered in a jittery voice.

"The one about the girl dealing with the shock of finding out her new perfect boyfriend she dated all winter turns into a sports-obsessed man-child during baseball season? Oh my god…that guy is such a loser with his sports themed room and sleeping in logo jammies." Darla noted the attire of the patient a little too late. "But football fans, unlike obsessed baseball fans, are totally cool. Go Aggies! Enjoy the sandwich, Mr. Stokes. Bye."

After pressing pause on the DVD player Nick glanced over at Carrie who was covering her face. "We can openly communicate about child rape and sexual hang-ups, but you can't come out and ask me about my love of football? Have you learned **nothing **from the past few days? Look at what the lack of honest communication did to Andy and Melissa."

She hung her head in shame. "I know…I know…busted."

"Darlin'…just open your mouth and say what's on your mind."

"I like football, I really do. My dad and Paul watched games every weekend and I've gone to games but…" Taking his hand she gave it a squeeze. "…a sports-themed bedroom, Nicky! Don't you think that's a little immature?"

"Not for our **son**, ya goofball," he clarified while laughing at her. "I meant for little Garrett's room."

"Oh." Her smile returned. "I'm okay with that."

Shaking his head at her he grumbled, "You're worried I'm going to hole up and watch games all weekend, aren't you?"

"Well…Ryan and Paul pointed out that I didn't know you last season and…"

"Just A&M and Dallas are the must-sees, Sweetheart. I'll watch other games if there's nothing else going on but…I'm not going to ignore you. And if there's a conflict in our schedule, I promise you'll have priority over the Cowboys and Aggies. After all, that's why we have DVR."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." He rolled his eyes.

"Sorry…sorry! They had me completely freaked that I wouldn't see you until after the Superbowl."

Laughing he said, "Perhaps I do need to be a little more specific…if there's a championship spot at stake, or my teams are in a bowl, playoff, or Superbowl game, those are 'must-see live' scenarios unless you're giving birth."

"That's totally reasonable."

"And since we're being completely honest…" He laughed at himself. "…I have been known to get a little loud during critical game moments or bad calls. Sometimes that loudness is accompanied by jumping up and down, throwing a non-lethal object or two, and cursing out the Ref using words my mother wouldn't approve of."

"That's nothing I haven't witnessed my brother or father do over the 49ers and I haven't kicked them out of my life."

"Excellent! So, we're cool." Lifting the cover off his tray he asked, "Is there anything I haven't seen you obsessing over yet?"

"Christmas. I **love **decorating, so expect to be on a ladder stringing lights all over our new house. And I'll want the tallest tree we can find. Oh! And believe it or not…I even bake cookies. It's the one thing I do really well in the kitchen."

A snicker later he mumbled, "I distinctly remember you doing something else really well in the kitchen one night when I came home from work and you dropped to your…"

"Nicky!" Slapping his arm she scolded, "I know you're giddy from being drugged up, but come on…we're talking about the holiest day of the year and you bring **that** up!" Her blush was quick and deep. "I still can't believe I surprised you with that while you stood against the fridge drinking a beer. I blame that bottle of Merlot I opened while reading Cosmopolitan's Steamy Sex Tips issue. Ugh…that was so…"

"…unbelievably awesome!" He chuckled while she squirmed. "And under the guise of open and honest communication in our relationship I'll admit that I'm looking forward to the day you surprise me with that particular** homecoming** scenario again. Even though I didn't think that activity could possibly get hotter than when you asked me to coach you through it your first time…there was something about the kitchen locale that just made it so much more…"

"Taboo?" she answered while shielding her face.

"That would be it…yeah. I think it's because I associate the kitchen with innocent childhood memories like having milk and cookies there when I came home from school." With raised brows he glanced down at his boxers. "Hallelujah! Little Nicky lives! When he wasn't saying hello every morning I was afraid the blood loss had permanently damaged the part of my brain that sends the message, or that damn catheter put a kink in his plumbing." Gliding his hand over his new boxers he verified it felt the same as before the trauma. "Oh yeah, Houston…we have lift off!"

Laughing, she taunted him, "You do remember what your sister said, right? Six weeks…no activity of** any** kind."

"That will be a personal record since I hit puberty." He shivered at the thought. "I'm not sure how I'm going to survive that."

"Hey! I thought you said you had gone eight months before we made love?"

Upon swallowing his first bite of the dry turkey sandwich he clarified, "I wasn't including self-gratification, Sweetheart. I took care of business before I went to your apartment that night…like I did every time before I went there, knowing I'd have to endure you kissing me without heading for the bedroom. If you factor that in, I had only gone four hours. But don't worry…I'll follow doctor's orders because I'm not taking any chances with my health, remember? Hell, I'll put a rubber band around my pecker and snap it if I have to."

"Good boy." In his ear she whispered, "And to reward your good behavior…as soon as you're given the all clear from the doctor, I'll meet you at the fridge when you come home from work…holding a cold beer and wearing only my cardio strip class stilettos and a tiny apron." While she giggled she thought…_Catherine, Tawny and Sara would be so proud of me for coming up with that one on my own._

"Yeah…" Pointing to his boxers he requested, "Let's stop talking about that pronto, Darlin'. Because the more I visualize and think about it, the worse it's getting."

**Butterfield Academy  
****11:41 a.m. **

Without warning it stunned Sean…a distinct rise in his khakis. The trigger…Celine leaning over to whisper with her hot breath fanning over his neck and her moist lips brushing against the lobe of his ear.

"Sean?" Celine prodded for the answer. "Do you want to be my partner on the project or not?"

"Uh…" Swallowing hard he squeaked, "Yes. Yes, of course I do. That would great…just great."

"Mr. Blake," the teacher, Mrs. Orion, called out to the supposed genius placed in her history class. "Since you have enough energy to talk, how about coming up to the board and showing…"

The rest of the teacher's words were lost as panic surged through him. Standing up wasn't an option in his condition because he had taken off his blazer and placed it on the back of his chair. The whole class would see his agitated state and Celine would know she was the cause.

"Mr. Blake?" the teacher prompted in a distinctly irritated tone. "We're waiting."

In his darkest moment he remembered Greg Sanders's wise words from the BBQ on Sunday…_One year I sat next to Becca, the girl of my fantasies, in English Lit…oh man…I had to summon my most powerful anti-boner thought every day at two-fifteen for an entire year. Have you ever had a pet die on you? Thinking about that works sometimes. _Taking a deep breath he focused on the memory of finding his Beta fish floating at the top of his fish bowl with his eyes bulging and his body bloated thick with death in the smelly water.

"Mr. Blake!"

"Yes, Ma'am. My apologies. I uh…had this quadratic equation in my head from earlier and was trying to solve it. Sorry." The depressing image of his decomposing pet having worked like a charm, he stood and headed for the board, making a mental note to thank Greg Sanders for his superior boner-control wisdom.

**Performing Arts High School  
****San Marino  
****12:15 p.m. **

On a spontaneous rehearsal break, sitting alone under a beautiful shade tree in the most secluded spot on campus, Greg sipped from his water bottle and stared at an army of ants. Their frenetic pace reminded him of his life since he met Tawny. Everything was happening so fast. Eight weeks from first date to proposal. Another four and they'd be married. Twenty-eight more and they'd have two kids. Once again fear was seizing him.

After his next sip, Greg's eyes focused on one ant in particular. It was carrying a crumb that he estimated weighed fifty times more than the ant itself. Fifty times its body weight, the maximum ants were known to carry, or so Grissom had told him once when working in a field covered in them. When he asked why ants could bear such a load, the Entomology expert informed him that it was due to their having proportionally more muscle. Suddenly he wished he had spent more time at the gym because the weight on his shoulders was getting greater by the second and he feared he was nearing capacity.

Watching Robbie and Joyce deal with baby Emma all night had been a harsh reality check. Parenting would be an exhausting twenty-four/seven responsibility for the rest of their lives. He and Tawny had thirty-two weeks left as a couple and then they'd be a mother and father whose lives were ruled by two children and it wouldn't end for eighteen years.

He gulped more water and wished he was holding a beer.

Pulling his knees to his chest Greg gripped them tight and watched the ants frantically work, knowing he'd have to work just as hard to keep his family afloat. It would be a breakneck, non-stop pace, working at the lab all day and then coming home to care for two infants and Tawny. He thought of the monthly budget he had developed this morning with his father's help. A budget so tight they would have to follow it to the penny just to make ends meet. No more selfish indulgences, no fancy dates or vacations, no impulsive spending of any kind. No more freedom to do as he pleased, all because he did as he pleased one day eight weeks ago. Lowering his head he closed his eyes, recalling the moment after his big mistake.

_"Oh no…" He winced. "I forgot…"_

_Biting her lip she nodded. "Yeah…" _

_"It felt so good…you felt so good…I…" _

_"It's okay," she replied in a nervous whisper. _

_"I'm** really** sorry." _

Next, his father's words from the previous night's nightmare echoed in his head. _It's always an accident isn't it, Gregory…you get a little too hyped up and stop thinking about consequences just long enough to do some serious damage. Isn't that **exactly **what happened the day you got Tawny pregnant? It was all about what Greg had to have at that moment. Well, this time you're paying big, you spoiled brat. Look at what you caused. _As usual, he was absolutely right.

And while Greg loved Tawny with all his heart and looked forward to slipping a diamond on her finger that weekend and then a month later adding a band, all the love in the world couldn't displace the fears and feelings of inadequacy suddenly choking him. Thoughts of mounting bills and mewling babies consumed him and without warning, tears spilled from his eyes.

Fifty yards away, standing behind a tree trunk, Bev watched her son cry while every fiber of her being urged her to run to him. To run to him and embrace him, assuring him that everything would be okay when she wasn't certain it would be. She wanted to lie and say caring for twins wasn't going to be that difficult. That Tawny would always adore him and never scream at him. More than anything, she wanted to open her checkbook and write him a way out of his financial hole. But keeping the promise she made to her husband, her feet stayed glued while her heart cracked in two.

So, with her hands tied, Bev did the only thing she could do…she cried with her son from fifty yards away, feeling his pain as if it were her own and all the while blaming herself for not allowing him to grow up sooner.

**Barnes and Noble Booksellers  
****12:22 p.m. **

Her arms nearly bursting from their load, Jillian carried her books to the cashier and dumped them on the counter. "Oh my." When the cashier, a man who she believed to be in his late twenties, glanced at the pile with raised brows she felt compelled to explain, "My forty year old son has a lot of problems and I'm giving him some mandated reading before he returns to his wife tomorrow."

"Ah." One by one the young man scanned the customer's selections. Infidelity: A Survival Guide, Back from Betrayal, Voices of Children of Divorce, His Needs Her Needs, The World According to Mister Rodgers, Tuesday's with Morrie. When he got to the last one he held it up. "Is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets yours too? Because it doesn't seem to match the non-fiction, self-help/meaning of life vibe you have going here."

"Yes, but that's for my good son."

"That hardly seems fair. Why does your **bad **son get six books but your** good** son only one? What kind of message is that sending?" he asked while grabbing the Harry Potter hardcover box set from the display behind him. "We have a special going on today. If you buy all six Harry Potter hardcovers you get a gift with the purchase which includes a Hogwarts cloak, a Gryffindor scarf, Harry's glasses, and wand. Maybe your good son would like it for a party?"

"He's not a child, he's thirty-five," she chuckled hard. "So, he won't be trick or treating this year."

The clerk stared at her with contempt. "I meant a **Harry Potter Party**. I have **several **costumes to select from when I attend events and I'm twenty-nine."

"Oh…" She read his nametag. "Forgive me, Edmund. I'm an old woman from Texas and didn't realize such things existed for grown-ups. You know…I'm hopelessly out of touch back home on my ranch taking care of steer." Not wanting to insult him further she nodded, "By all means give me the six books and the goodies. I'm sure my little Nicky will love to play dress up. You don't happen to have a costume for girls too, do you? Because he has a girl, and as sickening as this sounds…they like to do everything together. Good Lord, they're even getting matching rising phoenix tattoos."

"See! They're fans." The clerk oozed with excitement as he pulled out volume five. "The Order of the Phoenix. Harry's coming of age story. He realizes life isn't just black and white, when he is confronted with death and struggles with his emotions and insecurities."

"Well now, that's just perfect for my boy, because he confronted death on Monday, realized life isn't just black and white on Wednesday and has been struggling with his emotions and insecurities ever since." Pointing behind the counter she directed, "Wrap it up in some of that striped paper you have back there. I'll make it a get well gift."

**Butterfield Academy – Lunch Room  
****12:31 p.m. **

"Dude!" Perry Thompson slapped Sean on the back. "Is there anything you don't know?" Glancing across the table at his team mate Bo, Perry remarked, "It was a stroke of genius bringing this brainiac to lunch. Now I won't catch shit for not doing my math homework."

Sean sat at the table grinning like the village idiot.

"I told you he was cool." Bo flashed a smile at his new found friend who he now realized had more than one use. "I think you've earned a place at our table every day, man."

"Really! At the jock table?" He couldn't contain his excitement. "You should know, I signed up for track so I will be a jock…even though I don't currently look like one."

"Track?" Several of the ball players laughed out loud.

"Don't mind them," Bo assured his scrawny pal. "Some guys don't think it's not a sport unless there's a ball involved."

Sean was quick to point out, "Shot put utilizes a heavy metal ball and it's a track and field event."

"He's got you there," Perry punched Dale Conway in the arm. "And don't you be dissin' my study buddy."

Sean couldn't believe his luck. He was the Porsche of social climbing…going from loser to cool in sixty seconds flat. When the bell rang he stood and said, "So, I'll see you guys here tomorrow?"

"Sure thing, man." Bo nodded. "Tell your uncle I said I can't wait to meet a real ball player."

"Okay!" After dumping his tray Sean proceeded outside to cross the campus for his next class. That's when he saw Lindsay. She was sitting by herself under a tree clutching her backpack and staring into space. The nice guy in him wanted to go to her even though he knew she wouldn't do the same if roles were reversed. He wanted to explain that he felt obligated to tell the truth about her dishonest and disparaging behavior.

From her position under an oak tree Lindsay felt the hair on her neck stand. It always meant that someone was watching her. Glancing up she saw it was Sean. Desperate for a friendly word, and remorseful for her wicked ways the day before, she lifted her hand to wave and smile.

Just as he was about to lift his hand and return the gesture Sean remembered his brother's words from the previous night…_Lindsay…she's a poser, Dude…and a big time liar. Two words for ya…**steer clear**, because she'll make you bleed every time. _

When Lindsay saw Sean walk away without so much as a nod she lowered her head. Unfortunately, although she couldn't see what was ahead, she could still hear.

"What's wrong, Lindsay?" Celine taunted. "Couldn't find anyone to sit with at lunch? That's because everyone's afraid of the germs a tramp like you is carrying." When she saw her nemesis take off running Celine filled with satisfaction. "Was it something I said!"

**Crime Lab – Grissom's Office  
****12:40 p.m. **

When Gil picked up the phone he heard his dad frantically yell, _I don't know what to say!_ "About what and to whom, Dad?"

"My proposal…to Lina. "

Focused on his work Gil robotically replied into the phone, "Is Alzheimer's setting in? You've done it three times before, just…."

"Obviously I've caught you at a busy time…"

"No…no…" Removing his glasses he took his eyes off the DNA analysis sheets he was studying and leaned back in his office chair. The concept of familial obligation still new he sighed, "Sorry…Sara just reminded me last night that I'm slipping into some of my old impersonal habits. Forgive me. I'm listening."

"I have a plan to surprise her with the ring but, my dilemma is centered around the words I say to her upon finding it. How do I make her feel my asking her to be Mrs. Grissom is special when she's the fourth one I've asked and I've divorced the other three? Do you see the problem?"

"Yes." Biting on the end of his glasses he said, "Really, Dad…you shouldn't be asking me, you should be asking Sara, because you need a woman's perspective to ensure the utmost sensitivity. Sara…she's very empathetic, she'll know just the right thing to say." He was pleased with his caring, yet deflective answer. "She's in the field, but she has her cell so you can call her."

**Performing Arts High School  
****San Marino  
****12:45 p.m. **

When Greg returned thirty minutes later with a carefree smile plastered on his face, Bev handed him his cell phone. "You look much more relaxed, Son," she greeted, not letting on she had seen him sobbing earlier. "Did the walk around campus calm your performance anxiety?"

"Yep!" He kissed her cheek. "It worked like a charm. Sorry to keep everyone waiting." When he noticed the empty room he panicked, "Uh…did they get pissed and leave because I pulled a Diva moment?"

"Are you kidding? They all aspire to be Hollywood Divas one day. I gave them money for McDonald's…free food is the way to any student's heart. They'll be back at one." Next, she informed him, "I handed you your phone because when you left it behind, Becca called. You'll be happy to know I told her to stop bugging you because you had a girlfriend and would be engaged shortly."

"Thank you!" His face lit up with delight when he realized he had one less problem to face. "You're the best, Mom!"

Before he could get his arms around her she stepped back. "I'm kidding. When I saw it was her name on the display all I did was roll my eyes." Bev headed for the door. "Tough love, remember? I'm not allowed to solve problems for you anymore. I'll grab a soda and give you some privacy to return that call."

Plopping down on one of the lumpy couches in the room he flipped open his phone. Fatefully, Tawny's name appeared on the display as the phone vibrated in his hand. "Hey, Princess." He couldn't wait to hear her voice.

"Hi, Sweetie! Are you having a good time with your mom? I hope you are."

Her tone was as loving and supportive as he needed it to be. "Yeah…thanks for understanding about me spending the day with her to ease the pain of her letting go when we get engaged."

"No sweat! I'm having the best time with your dad. First he took me to his office and now we're at IKEA shopping. I'm filling out a sheet with everything I'd like to buy, then we'll bring up the website back at your parents' place so you can give your stamp of approval. After that, your dad will place the order online and have it all shipped to us."

"Cool. What's my dad doing while you're on the phone?"

"He met an oral surgeon from Burbank that he knows and they're chatting about some really gross gum thing, so I thought I'd use the time to check in with you."

His anxiety fading as the seconds passed he asked, "Is he taking you for Swedish meatballs at their restaurant?" It was his father's main reason for shopping at IKEA.

"Yes! That's where we're headed next," she giggled. "He said I'll love them."

"You will…and I love you." Crashing back on the couch he kicked his feet up over the arm and stared at the ceiling tiles. "Tawny, I want you to know…when I propose, if I seem **really** nervous it's not because I'm uncertain about asking you to be my wife. Seriously, be prepared…the blood will be drained from my face, my voice will be shaking, and my knees knocking, but all of that will have nothing to do with you. The closer the moment gets, the more scared I am that I won't be able to live up to the promises a wedding proposal represents…to be a responsible husband."

"You will, Sweetie…"

From his heart he confessed, "Watching Robbie last night…and after listening to my dad talk about budgets and parental responsibility this morning…I feel woefully unprepared for what lies ahead. And I feel guilty that I'm asking you to marry me under such unstable circumstances. I wish I had the same things Robbie could provide Joyce when he popped the question, or the guarantees my dad could make when he proposed to my mom." His voice dropped to a whisper. "My nerves are all about not being sure I have what it takes to never let you down again."

"Greg…I expect you to let me down again."

"You do?" He swallowed hard.

"Yes! And I fully expect to let you down too. We're human. And it's not going to be perfect…far from it. Get this…I spoke with Carrie this morning and she told me that she had a blow out with Nick yesterday because he confessed that he started the fight with his brother instead of it being the other way around. So there! Even Mr. Perfect screws up with his girl, and since Carrie was screaming at him while he was in the ICU that proves she has her moments of insanity too. Isn't that why marriage vows have that line about for better or worse…because it's a given?" Her voice reaching a soothing pitch she whispered, "And have you forgotten what you wrote to Sara and Gil about their birdhouse? Practice what you preach Gregory Hojem Sanders."

"I love you even more than I did five minutes ago," he informed her while his pulse finally returned to its resting rate.

"Don't worry, Sweetie…what you're feeling is normal. A lot of guys on that perfect proposal show I watch go through this stage right before the big moment."

"Yeah…" Chuckling he replied, "…I'm not sure **Reality TV** is the best choice for validating normalcy, but maybe that's because we watched My Fair Brady. Those two dysfunctional freaks make us look like the Cleavers."

"Good thing I set the DVR to tape the next episode. We can use it to make us feel better about ourselves." After a quick chuckle with him she returned to topic. "Anyway…I want you to be nervous when you propose. I want to hear a quiver in your voice and see your hand shaking when you hold the ring."

"You do?" he asked through a smile.

"Yep! It means you're emotionally invested. And Greg, even if you get so worked up you vomit afterwards, don't worry…I'll be sure to have mints in my purse just in case."

"Well…I planned to kiss you afterwards, so…"

"What kind of kiss, Baby?"

"I'm going to plant the deepest, longest, most romantic kiss on your luscious lips that you've ever…" Before he could finish his mother grabbed the phone from his hand and disconnected the call. "Mom! What the…" He jumped up from the couch. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I forgot my wallet and I couldn't get my soda from the vending machine." Shaking his cell she blasted, "How dare you talk dirty on the phone with Becca when you have a pregnant girlfriend waiting for you to propose! You're a disgrace! You're sick! No wonder you're having nightmares, Gregory. You should be having nightmares living the secret life you're living. You better call your therapist and…no, you better call the cops because my thoughts are turning murderous!"

"That was** Tawny** on the phone!" he shouted trying to grab her attention. "**Tawny!** Not Becca."

"Oh…"

"Yeah! You should feel bad."

Clearing her throat she twittered, "Sorry, never mind what I said then." When the phone she was holding vibrated she jokingly answered, "He's right here anxious to talk about kissing you, Honey."

When Greg took the phone he checked the display and covered the receiver. "Mom!" he snapped. "You didn't look before you spoke. It's Becca!"

"Oh shit!" Her hands raced to her head.

"HA! Gotcha back. And watch your language young lady." He moved out of the way just in time to escape her swat and greeted his caller. "Hello again, future wife."

**Laundry-Rama  
****1:06 p.m. **

Taking a break from fingerprinting coin slots, Sara sat on top of a washer counseling her father-in-law. "Since you have a rep as a player, Ron, I think the most important thing is to appear naturally flustered rather than cool, calm and collected when proposing to your future wife. This isn't the time for suave. Be a big spaz…be Greg."

In a chuckle he asked, "Any news from California?"

"The future Mrs. Chuckles called me this morning." She shook her head and smiled. "In spite of Mr. Sanders figuring out the pregnancy secret in the first two minutes and Greg cycling through three nervous breakdowns since arriving, Tawny sounds very upbeat."

"Those poor kids. I have a real soft spot for them because it reminds me of Jillian and me."

"I'd prefer them reminding you of a story with a happier ending."

"They won't turn out the same, Sara," he assured her. "They have two things Jilly and I didn't have…family and friends on their side."

**IKEA  
****1:22 p.m. **

"So how's my boy doing?" Scott asked Tawny when they sat at a table with their lunch trays full of Swedish meatballs, salad and apple cake with vanilla sauce. He had seen her passionately speaking with him on the phone prior to entering the restaurant.

"The usual…an eclectic combination of sad, happy, tense and relaxed." Tugging the wrapper off her straw Tawny said, "I have a feeling you're worried that Greg and I make a pretty emotionally unstable combination."

"Well…" Scott lowered his fork. "The truth is…uh…how can I say this without sounding…hmm…I think a woman who couldn't emotionally empathize with Greg probably wouldn't be able to tolerate him. I think that's why he had difficulty finding a good match over the years. So, while I'm definitely concerned that you both exhibit manic tendencies…I also think it's the reason you work well together. When you're both up the good times will roll, but I have to be honest, I wonder what will happen when you're both down at the same time."

"I totally see where you're coming from," she nodded as she forked her first meatball. "And I want you to know that I'm usually a lot calmer and stronger. These pregnancy hormones have turned me into a nutjob. I had a long talk about it with our friend Nick's sister, she's an OB. She believes I'll see some relief once I hit the second trimester, but she told me to have my doctor watch me closely, especially for post-partum depression after the babies are born."

"I used to be an OB student. It's true, with twins the initial flux can be severe."

"Trust me…there's no way I could have survived on my own and handled myself in clubs if I was this emotional. I mean, sure I had my depressed moods…" She rolled her eyes. "...because my life was crap. But, I was **a lot** calmer before…."

"You met Greg."

"Before I got pregnant," she was eager to correct.

Mr. Sanders couldn't resist the tease. "So, you had a good ninety minutes of calm."

Blushing she brought her napkin to her face. "You got me."

"I don't know how much Greg's told you about his history and I won't take a chance for fear of…"

"I know everything," she quickly replied. "I know more than you. That's something I'd like Greg to rectify but…that's up to him. I think he will in time though, because his therapist thinks it's critical…and so do I."

"I know the circumstances that brought you to us aren't the best but, I'm really glad you're becoming a part of my family." Reaching across the table Scott took Tawny's hand in his. "You're a very special young lady." Leaning in he sweetly whispered, "Thank you for believing in my son and loving him…quirks and all."

"I…"

"Scott?" Lydia Atwell from the club stopped in front of the table and gaped at the young vivacious blonde with whom her friend's husband was holding hands. "Who…"

"Lydia!" He stood to greet her, knowing exactly what she must be thinking. "This is **Greg's** girlfriend, Tawny Cooper. Tawny this is Bev's doubles partner, Lydia Atwell."

"Greg's…girlfriend?" She found it hard to believe since the quirky boy hadn't brought a date home ever and there were all those rumors about the boy being gay. Plus, the girl was a babe, it was impossible to fathom he could go from unlucky in love to hitting the jackpot since Memorial Day. "Bev never mentioned Greg having a girlfriend. I find it hard to believe she'd keep **a girl **a secret when everyone at the club…"

"Wanna see our picture together?" Tawny grabbed her purse and pulled out her favorite of the ones Wendy took the previous week. "Isn't he so cute in that one? It was taken in front of our friend's garden."

"Come on, Lydia…" Scott cracked up. "…if I was having an affair with a woman as fantastic as Tawny, do you **really** think I'd take her to IKEA Burbank for Swedish meatballs?"

"I'll be damned." Lydia returned the photo grinning. "Well…I know what will be this Labor Day weekend's top gossip at the club."

Scott lifted his iced tea to toast the idea. "I guarantee it."

**Ely State Prison  
****1:42 p.m. **

"There are no guarantees in life, Mike, except death, taxes and…" Attorney Don Schulze cracked a riotous grin, "…your freedom."

"Sweet!"

"Don't start packing yet, though." Don opened his briefcase. "While I'm highly confident, I still have a ton of work to do and no time frame."

"Take your time, man." Mike kicked back in his chair. "I've got things under control here. Prison isn't complicated once you figure out the system. I had a pretty decent knowledge before, from being in law enforcement, but now I've got every angle down. I even have a woman dropping to her knees for me. So, be patient and do it right."

"Check out my latest find." Sliding the forensics journal across the table he grinned. "Greg Sanders…the DNA Specialist who worked your case just published a very intriguing case study. Guess which case he wrote about?"

Mike flipped to the appropriate page and read the title. "Cutting Edge DNA Technology Cracks Cold Case."

"You know my favorite synonym for 'cutting edge'?" Don asked while relaxing in his seat. "Unproven. My runners up are imperfect, inconsistent and unreliable."

"How convenient of Mr. Sanders to mention that too." He pointed to the highlighted lines in the article where he cited several juries not siding with the technology.

"I've had several experts read through it. It's extremely well written," Don confirmed. "But when combined with everything else I'm hoping to have, it could serve us well."

"Excellent."

"You want some other good news?"

"Can there ever be too much?"

"Stokes is expected to make a full recovery."

"I guess it's true what they say about the power of prayer." Thrilled he wouldn't be down one pawn in the game he beamed, "Atta boy, Nicky!"

**University Trauma Center  
****2:10 p.m. **

Nick, Carrie and Ryan were sitting on the bed discussing Harry's venture to Diagon Alley while Mrs. Stokes watched Fever Pitch on the DVD player. Holed up in the opposite corner of the room, Andy ferociously read the first of the six books his mother had ordered him to finish before seeing Melissa the next day.

"I would have picked an owl too," Nick agreed with Ryan. "Cats are annoying, and what the hell is a toad going to do for you except give you warts?"

"That's an old wives tale," Carrie pointed out. "Viruses cause warts, not toads. But toads do produce a toxin in the glands behind their eyes which is harmful if ingested or swallowed. My mom took her home-school curriculum planning very seriously…she had me do a science project on toads in conjunction with an English Lit unit on post-modern interpretations of Fairy Tales."

"You're marrying a walking encyclopedia, Nicky," Andy teased. "How the hell did you get such a smart woman to fall for you?"

Jillian shot her eldest son a look. "You have five books to go after that one, Andrew. I'd keep my nose to the grindstone if I were you."

"Maybe my mom will let me get a pet owl," Ryan commented with a gleam in his eye.

"No can do," Attorney Blake quickly informed him. "Possession of owls is illegal under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It's a felony offense."

"Yeah that…" Nick laughed, "And it could rip open your throat with its talons while you're sleeping, and then snack on your eyeballs."

"Eww." Carrie pinched her man. "You're not going to tell stories like that to our children, are you?"

"Nah…I'll be too busy watching football to talk with our kids."

"Would you drop it already!" Carrie snapped while trying not to laugh.

Laughing at his fiancée Nick said, "Aww…I'm just teasin' ya."

"I'll forgive you if you kiss me."

Ryan felt compelled to point out, "See! You sound just like when my Mom and Dad were busting you this morning. You're sickeningly sweet!"

"Amen," Jillian concurred from her spot in the corner.

"Hey! We've only been engaged a month and I'm still buzzing," Carrie protested. "Sue me."

Jillian was never one to turn down a challenge. "I'll start looking for precedent right after I finish this cute little movie. I'm sure I'll find grounds."

Andy took a chance lifting his eyes from his book. "Maybe there was a diabetic who went into shock from listening to a couple just like them, and he sued for damages."

"Since you're backing my cause, Son, I'll let you get away with that one."

"Mr. Stokes…" The matronly hospital volunteer walked in with a greeting card. "You have mail."

"Drop it on the bed table!" Carrie gruffly ordered.

"Snap your band, Darlin'," Nick suggested as he squeezed her hand.

"Uh…sorry." Smiling at the annoyed woman she explained, "We had a very unwelcome greeting the other day and I'm a little jumpy."

While the volunteer high-tailed it out of there, Jillian and Andy joined Carrie at Nick's bedside to stare at the white envelope.

"Writing looks feminine," Nick stated as he studied it.

Careful not to touch the potential evidence, Carrie pointed to the top left corner. "Why is the return address your office at the Crime Lab?"

He quickly answered, "The person didn't know my home address and wanted to make sure I received it even if I left the hospital before it arrived." Pointing to the counter under the window where his gifts were stowed Nick asked, "Mama…could you hand me that magic wand?"

"You know spells!" Ryan exclaimed, his uncle suddenly earning even more cool points.

"No, you big retard." Then he felt the heat of his mother's stare. "Sorry…bad word."

"Finally Saint Nick is in trouble! Can I get an Amen?" Andy quipped. Then he felt the heat of her glare. "Sorry…not a good time for a joke."

Using a tissue to lift the card, Nick inserted the thin wand through the small unsealed part of the envelope and held it up under the bright light over his hospital bed. "Well, it's not a Hallmark." He lowered it. "It's an American Greetings logo on the back of the envelope and the front of the card is a picture of a fairy princess dancing in the rain saying, 'It's all in the attitude'."

"Tawny," Carrie immediately declared. "Now that I think that, the writing is obvious. The 'S' in Stokes looks just like the way she wrote the 'S' in Sanders when she showed Sara and I how good the name looked with hers."

Still holding the envelope with a tissue, Nick used the wand to tear the seal. A few seconds later the card was open and they all breathed a sigh of relief when Tawny's name was indeed signed at the bottom.

"Where's that box of chocolate?" Carrie asked while her pulse raced. "I need a little serotonin boost after that." When Ryan handed it over she grabbed a dark chocolate truffle and stuffed it in her mouth.

"What the…" Nick opened the folded check and broke into an easy smile. "She sent me ten grand for BPaC."

"What? Where would Tawny get ten grand?" Carrie asked without thinking. Then she saw Drew. "She sold your bracelet." Bursting with joy she declared, "I love that girl!"

"Here's what she wrote," Nick said, "I once was a little girl who had everything and then I lost it all so, I know what it feels like to need a boost. Please take this money for BPAC and put it to work Bringing Peace and Comfort to those in need. I've got plenty in the strong arms of Greg Sanders and in the company of my good friends. Love, Tawny." When he was done reading, Nick locked eyes with Carrie and when he saw her smile and nod he said, "Yep…I think we just got the sign we've been looking for, Sweetheart."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

In FS, Tawny was desperate for a father, we also know Scott always wanted a child with whom he could easily connect and relate to. I think they're filling each other's needs and thrilled to be gaining each other. Bev is REALLY trying to keep her end of the bargain…but it's only day 1! LOL let's not award her a medal yet.

Tawny jumps in again as the perfect partner for Greg…knowing just what to say to get him to bounce back. Look for the GT scenes to take a decidedly romantic and upbeat turn starting with chapter 21…I think they've earned it.

Another glimpse of the old _head in the microscope_ Gil. I think having Sara was a lot to balance for him but now he has a father taking up more of his time and he's on the verge of having a step-mother. That's a lot of family for a guy who was alone for decades. He's in an adjustment phase again.

Little Nicky lives. I know some of you were worried LOL. Some solid Blake-Stokes negotiating/communication going on, and Nick clearly showing he's learned a lot from his brother's failed marriage lesson.

Sean is like seeing 'what if Greg had a different support system in place back then, how would things have worked differently'? Could Sean be successful in the same scenarios that failed for Greg?

In the end scene, Tawny has paid it forward (no doubt hoping for some good karma in CA!). Her gesture is the catalyst to set something bigger in motion, hence Nick and Carrie's acknowledgment of 'the sign'. But Nick and Carrie won't be in the venture alone…look for the family Grissom to join them.

Lastly, a lot of this chapter was set up for things to come…like getting another glimpse of Mike's attorney at work. You didn't think I repeatedly mentioned Greg being published since chapter 71 of FS for no reason, did you? J And who was it that encouraged Greg to write and who thought the paper was PERFECT? In any case, remember what the attorney said…"it **could** serve us well." It's very early in that ballgame. Here's a FS refresher…

**Chapter 71:**

**Waving the papers he explained, "Grissom encouraged me to start writing and submitting, so I wrote a paper on using current PCR DNA technology to solve cold cases when evidence is degraded. I used the infamous Mike Rodgers trial as my primary example because of the mold that had grown on the jacket with the blood evidence.**

**Chapter 72:**

**"That's fantastic." Gil beamed with the pride of a proud papa. He had encouraged Greg to write the paper and spent countless hours critiquing it with him to achieve what he thought was the perfect final product. "I knew that one would do it for you."**

Thanks to Misty-J and Rojaji for leaving reviews. Always appreciated!

**Next Chapter:** Wendy is shocked by her son's words…Warrick and Jim make Nick an offer they expect him to refuse…Brass gets the call he's been waiting for…Greg and Tawny 'first date' begins…Uncle Nick finds himself squirming…Cath gets a startling phone call and that's only the beginning of her troubles. **Posting:** Tuesday morning

**Have a great weekend! Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, **

**Maggs**


	21. Chapter 21

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 21**

**September 1, 2005  
****Butterfield Academy  
****3:24 p.m. **

Sitting in her car in the Parent Pick Up line, Wendy couldn't believe her eyes. Sean was rushing to her vehicle smiling like the carefree boy he was supposed to be. "Honey?" she greeted in a wary voice.

"Mom!" As soon as he shut the door Sean let his excitement fill the minivan. "I had the best day of school ever! It was incredible! Fantastic! I have friends!"

"Kids from Chess Club or Science Club?" she asked with hope in her voice as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"Jocks! Popular girls! Classmates!" His enthusiasm rattled the windows. "Everyone likes me!"

As much as she wanted to believe her boy, Wendy found it impossible to fathom that he went from being ridiculed on day one to adored on day two, especially by jocks. "Was there a track meeting today and you met some jocks there?"

"Here's what happened…" he explained in a joyous voice, with his hands and arms going as fast as his rate of speech. "The girl I was telling you about yesterday…Celine…it turns out that she was being coerced by Lindsay to be mean to me. Today, Celine apologized and said that she was just worried Lindsay was trying to ruin her so she went along with her."

"Really?"

"Yes! I witnessed it myself today, Mom. Lindsay told everyone that Celine wears sexy underwear just to embarrass her. But Celine would make a really great CSI because she lifted her skirt to show that she was wearing normal girly underwear with innocent flowers. The evidence doesn't lie! She called Lindsay a liar and I backed her up because I know how it feels to be on the end of one of Lindsay's jokes. Celine was really grateful I did and asked me to be her friend. Right after that, one of the school's biggest jocks heard me say that my uncle played for A&M and he thinks I'm cool by association."

"Okay." Wendy pondered the information and realized it sounded plausible.

"Bo, that's the jock's name, invited me to sit at the jock table at lunch and help them with their homework!" Lowering his voice to a whisper he confessed, "Some of them really aren't too bright. I don't know how they get to go to Butterfield."

"Because their parents are making huge donations on top of paying their tuition…but don't tell them I said that." She cursed herself for saying it in front of her son with a penchant for blurting. "I'm really surprised Lindsay is acting this way. She seemed fine the other night when we went out for ice cream."

"I finally figured it out! She's a chameleon," he informed his skeptical mother. "She acts one way in front of her unofficial stepfather, but she's a whole different person when she's at school. Mom…Celine said Lindsay's mom enrolled her at Butterfield because she gave BJs to half the football team. Is BJ the nickname for a really bad drug? IsIT BJ another name for Ecstasy?"

"Uh…" Wendy clenched the steering wheel and in a moment of panic completely copped out of her parenting responsibilities, "Honey, you should really ask your Uncle Nick about nicknames for street drugs, because he's a CSI and deals with that all the time. And I better call Catherine."

**Catherine's Roadster  
****3:31 p.m. **

"You haven't said two words since you got in the car, Linds." At the red light Catherine reached over and nudged her mute daughter. "Did the other girls like your new purse?"

"Yeah." Chewing her bottom lip, Lindsay fought to stave off her tears. Once she was home and behind her closed bedroom door she'd let them flow, but not in front of her mother.

"Is it boy trouble?" she asked, hoping to start some dialogue.

"I have cramps, okay? Sometimes it really sucks being a girl!" Turning her body even further away she stared out the window. "So, could you give me a break because I don't feel like doing the mother-daughter thing right now because my gut is throbbing? I just want to go home, take some Motrin and rest."

"Sure…I know how that feels." She patted her shoulder. The house will be nice and quiet. I'm going to catch some Z's and Warrick just left to visit Nick in the hospital."

**University Trauma Center  
****3:45 p.m. **

When Jim pulled out a second rubber band to accompany the one already around Nick's wrist he said, "What Warrick and I are about to speak of may require a double snap."

"Oh shit." Nick eyed his faux-uncle and his pal. "What now?"

"Where's your Keyholder?"

A little fuzzy from his latest dose of meds, Nick didn't track. "My Keyholder?"

"To your ball and chain," Jim teased as he glanced around the empty room. "Did she go on another balloon run? I hope so, because twelve red hearts floating around this place seems a bit light."

"Aren't you a wise ass this afternoon, Uncle Jimmy?" Nick glanced at the wall clock. "Carrie is at an appointment. My brother was here, but when he heard you were coming he took off with my mother."

Brass chuckled. "Yeah…I scared the crap out him in the elevator the other day. He thought I was Tawny's father."

"Yeah…the resemblance is uncanny," Nick deadpanned. "I can see how he'd make that mistake."

"I see you haven't lost your sense of humor." Taking a seat on the edge of Nick's bed Warrick said, "And you look pretty good…for you. Are you feeling good? Is that shirt new? It's cool."

"Stop buttering me up and cut to the chase before you give me a heart attack," Nick urged while waiting for the shoe to drop. "Is it a threat to Carrie or me?"

"Definitely you," Brass laughed as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms. "Your** pal** will break it to you."

Never one to beat around the bush Warrick said, "Cath wants to switch to Days and work for you."

"Oh no. No. No way." Nick shook his head as the laughter built. "No offense, man, but…your significant other is a colossal pain in the ass to supervise. She walked all over Grissom…which may be fine for him but, it would get on my last nerve. And Sofia is on my shift. Those two cats would be clawing each other in the conference room during my staff meetings. I can handle Sofia…"

"That's what we heard, and from the look on her face when she was fessing up about your sordid association, I'd say you handled her very well." Brass broke into his best shit-eating grin. "Remember…I saved your life so I think that gives me a free pass to bust your chops from here on out."

Nick held up his wrist and snapped his bands for Jim to see. "What's with people coming here to take advantage of me when I'm drugged? If you're not allowed to drive when taking this shit then you shouldn't be allowed to make important decisions."

"Look…" Warrick decided to make a plea. "Having her work nights isn't cutting it now that Lindsay hit thirteen. There's been some problems…well, you know that, you're the one who busted her in Ryan's bedroom. Lindsay needs closer supervision and Cath needs to take a more active mothering role. You know…things can happen when a mother isn't around looking out for her kid…**bad **things."

"Did Catherine tell you to say that!" Incensed that she'd use his history to manipulate him Nick demanded, "Are those **her **words or yours? Answer me, man." He flicked the rubber bands twice and waited for confirmation that she was attempting to manipulate him for the second time this week. "The truth…now."

"Take it easy." Warrick calmly replied while wondering why his friend suddenly got tweaked. "They're mine, I swear. I'll tell you her words but, you won't believe them. She said…what if I extend an olive branch to Sofia and promise to be submissive with Nick."

Nick replied in disbelief, "She'll be submissive to me?"

In a compassionate tone Jim counseled, "Nick…I realize how difficult this scenario would be for you so, don't worry, I'll help…" Stepping closer he placed his hand on the tense man's shoulder. "I'll give you tips on how to be dominant with a woman…because we all know you don't get any practice with Carrie running the show."

"Thanks, Uncle Jimmy." Nick took a deep breath as his visitors laughed. "Check it out…I'm coherent and I'm not just gonna let you steamroll me. But I'll make you a counteroffer, gentlemen."

Warrick gave a toothy grin. "That's Attorney Blake's influence on you."

"Absolutely," he acknowledged with pride. "I understand that it would be better for Lindsay to have her mother working the same hours as she is in school and because I'm a big-time family man, I also empathize. However, as a supervisor, I have to consider the impact this change would have on my team. I can't do that without knowing how Ms. Willows will react when she's a part of my shift. So, here's what I want…it's non-negotiable…a written agreement stating that this is for a thirty day trial period beginning the first day I return to my shift and ending thirty calendar days after that. On the thirtieth day I get to decide if Ms. Willows has effectively demonstrated that she works well with the team and if she has, she can stay. On the other hand, if I feel her presence is detrimental to the functionality of the group…or my sanity, she'll have to find another spot. Do we have a deal?"

"Hmm…I don't know," Jim looked to Warrick. "Do you think Cath can fake it for thirty days?"

"Out!" Nick pointed to the door. "I need my beauty rest."

"But we haven't given you your gifts," he protested. "We bought you **old lady porn** since we know you're not allowed to get it up for weeks. Trust me, I looked at in on the way over and it will do the trick." Just then Jim's cell rang. "Hold that thought." When he saw on the display that it was Whispering Pines calling he headed for the door. "I need to grab this."

Once Jim was gone Warrick said, "Talking friend to friend, and as Cath's significant other…I really appreciate you giving her the chance."

"You look real edgy, man. Are things cool with the two of you?" He studied Warrick's eyes. "You're still moving into the new house this weekend, right?"

"Yeah."

"I thought maybe you were pissed about her bringing me the multi-million dollar settlement from Big Daddy Braun."

"What?"

"Oh shit."

Warrick's head tilted as he tried to make sense of the statement. "She didn't say anything about bringing you a settlement from Braun."

Realizing he had stepped in it with both feet Nick said, "I just assumed she told you because…"

"We're in a committed relationship and live under the same roof. Damn her!" Warrick stood and paced the room. "She bet me too."

"She bet you? Bet you what?"

"I can't believe..." With his hands on his hips he answered, "We were joking around about the world turning upside down and she said…who knows, maybe Nick will become a millionaire overnight and Greg will return from California with his umbilical cord cut. I laughed and said I wouldn't bet on that. She challenged me, saying if they did happen would I grant her shift bid. I took the action…**as a joke**. She played me."

Feeling terrible about spilling the beans Nick said, "You know she wanted to make it go away for you too. She was afraid you'd catch some heat about her working the Tempest case."

"All the more reason she should have mentioned it, don't you think?"

"Hey…Carrie hid that greeting card from me. People make bad decisions when they think they're looking out for a loved one. Don't jump to conclusions…ask her about it…see what she says."

"Have you been watching Dr. Phil in here?" Warrick took a seat in a guest chair and rubbed his hands over his face. "It's not even that she brought you the settlement without telling me that's got me so pissed. It's that she flaunted her secret knowledge of it in front of my face. How disrespectful is that?"

"Look…she cracked a joke is all, and she probably didn't even..."

"Why are you defending her? Because she got her daddy to make you a millionaire?"

"Ouch." Nick stared at his longtime pal for a moment then said in a distant voice, "See…it's true what they say, money changes everything. The cash has only been in my account a few hours and it's already happening. You've only known about it for two minutes and don't think of me the same."

"It's not just money…" His gaze narrowed as his voice hardened. "…it's** his** money and I can't believe you let that crook buy you off."

Adding an edge to his voice Nick retorted, "Settlements happen ever day and they are a legitimate alternative course of action to a trial when a wrong has been committed. You know that. You see it all the time in cases. Now…with that said, I'll tell you this one time…" He connected with Warrick's eyes and said his peace, "My parents worked too damned hard to be destroyed by a Sam Braun scandal and my brother doesn't need to be sitting in jail, he needs to be with his kids and working on his marriage. Lastly, and most importantly, if this had gone to trial and spiraled into a mess, it could have cost Carrie her career. I took the settlement because it was the right thing to do for my family…and I don't feel guilty about my decision. I am however extremely disappointed that you judged me before even bothering to ask me what I'm going to do with that money."

"Damn…" Warrick slid lower in this chair. "Yeah…I'm an ass…and I'm really sorry for jumping down your throat, Buddy. First off, it's none of my business, and secondly…I know you'd never do it for the wrong reasons. My head, it's…I'm still reeling."

"Forgiven," he replied without hesitation.

Finally able to resume eye contact he asked the burning question, "Since you brought it up, what are you planning on doing with that bastard's cash?"

"There's this project Carrie and I want to invest in." A gentle smile eased over his mouth. "I'm not a Saint…Carrie and I will be settin' ourselves up real good first, and socking away some for a rainy day but, I don't want to live the country club life, man. As far as I can see, all that shit did to my brother was mess up his life. Carrie and I see eye to eye on this…we're grateful that we won't have to sweat the small stuff, and we've decided to show our gratitude by helping others in need. It's not like there's a shortage of people struggling."

**University Trauma Center - Courtyard  
****4:03 p.m. **

As soon as Jim hung up from speaking with his daughter, he rested against the back of the stone bench on which he was sitting and replayed the entire conversation in his mind.

_"Daddy...I earned phone privileges." _

_"Hi, Honey. You sound great." In reality she sounded awful but it was great to hear her voice. _

_"Then I sound better than I look. But hey…I made it five days." _

_"I knew you would do well there." _

_"It** sucks **here and I'm hanging on by a thread." _

_Jim tensed. "Well…I think it's pretty hard to make rehab fun no matter where you are. It will get better." _

_"Yeah…tomorrow I get to go to my first Equine Therapy session. I think that's a fancy way of saying I'll be shoveling horse shit. But whatever it takes, right, Dad?" _

_"I can't wait to see you this weekend, Sweetheart. Is there anything you want me to bring?" _

_"A bag of brain cells, because according to what I learned last night in Counselor Bob's lecture, I've lost plenty over the years." _

_The proud father smiled when he realized his daughter had been paying attention in class. "I was thinking chocolate but I'll work on finding the cells. I'm sure there have to be some stored at the lab." When he heard her laugh lightly, Jim relaxed a little. "Do you have a roommate?" _

_"Oh yeah…she's a piece of work. Little Miss Priss is here instead of attending her freshman year at UCLA because her millionaire daddy found out she held an X-induced orgy at their Malibu beach house. What a loser. I call her Malibu Barbie…she friggin' hates that." _

_"What does she call you?" _

_"Tramparella.__ I told her the tramp part makes sense but, the Cinderella piece doesn't work because I've never have a stepmother or slaved over cleaning a house. The invalidity of the name ruins its effectiveness and I told her to try a little harder. Whatever…she's a spoiled blonde bitch jonesin' for a fix…there's no reasoning with her."_

_"I'm glad you're making friends," he quipped. _

_"Speaking of friends…is Heather coming with you when you visit?" _

_"I was going to bring her along for the drive but, if it will make you uncomfortable I can…" _

_"No, I want her to come. I told everyone my daddy is dating a dominatrix and they can't wait to meet her." _

_"I'll tell her dress the part then." _

_Chuckling she said, "How can you **tell **her what to do if she's a dominatrix?" _

_"We have a schedule, this weekend I'm the dominant." _

_"Dammit!" she grumbled. "…it's time for group. I'll call you tomorrow." _

_"I love you, Ellie. This call made my day."_

_"Bye, Dad." _

_"Bye." _

Returning his cell to his jacket pocket Jim rose from the courtyard bench. Talking to Ellie was one thing, but what he really needed was to see her.

**The Sanders Home  
****4:11 p.m. **

"How do I look?" Tawny asked Bev when she stepped out of the bathroom.

With her fresh French manicure and pedicure, romantic updo, and flirty red chiffon dress Bev only needed one word, "Stunning."

"It's our first date so I want to impress him."

"I'm sure he'll ask you out again at the end of the night." Opening her palm, she displayed a diamond accented cuff bracelet. "This was Greg's grandmother's. In her will she asked that it be given to his wife. She wouldn't mind it happening before the formality."

Even though she estimated it to be a fraction of the worth of Drew's, to Tawny it was priceless. "I'm honored."

"It's a perfect fit," she declared while fastening it on Tawny's wrist. "And so are you and Greg, Sweetheart." Resting her palm on the girl's cheek, Bev sniffled, "I couldn't ask for a better daughter-in-law."

Watching the distraught mother's eyes fill with water, Tawny assured her, "I'll never hurt him, Bev…and I'll make sure he stays out of the hole."

"Thank you, Honey." Hugging her tight she whispered, "While you're out on the town, I'm going to be here reviewing all the wedding plans you two have detailed out for me. I'm so excited."

And while Bev and Tawny were sharing a tender moment in the guest room, down the hall in Greg's childhood room, Scott was teasing his boy…

"I feel like I'm sending you off to the prom, Son."

"Better late than never."

Reaching out Scott smoothed down the lapel of the black jacket he had loaned him. Underneath it, he was wearing the black Armani button down Bev had purchased and placed in the guestroom closet to go with the stylish black trousers she had tailored for him. "When the babies arrive I'm sure your mother will focus on dressing them instead of you."

"Hey, I'm not complaining." In the mirror he fluffed his hair. "Mom has great taste."

"I'm sure she'll still augment your wardrobe on your birthday and at Christmas." Stuffing his hands into his pockets Scott said, "No drinking and driving."

"Never do."

"Don't keep her out past curfew."

Chuckling he replied, "Don't you worry, Dad, I plan on having her in bed by eleven."

"That brings me to my next point." From his pocket he produced two condoms.

"I was waiting for that." Greg grabbed them, tucking them in his jacket pocket.

"All kidding aside, I read in a medical journal recently, a case study that focused on a woman with overactive ovaries who conceived twins and then two months later conceived triplets." When he saw Greg's smile melt Scott laughed, "I'm shittin' ya. I saw that on the cover of The National Enquirer when I was at Ralph's."

"As a Scientist I knew that wasn't possible, but as a guy who finds himself in precarious situations frequently, I couldn't help but feel tense, because if it were going to happen…it would happen to me."

Grabbing the bouquet of flowers from the dresser, Scott handed them to his son. "After spending the day with Tawny, I don't have one ounce of doubt in my veins about how she feels…she loves you with all her heart, Son, and that makes you a very lucky man."

"I'm acutely aware of that Dad." Taking the flowers, Greg grinned and headed out the door. A minute later he was at the guest room knocking. When the door opened and he saw his date looking more beautiful than he'd ever seen her before, Greg fell speechless.

"Wow!" Tawny turned around to Bev. "When Chuckles can't talk you know you're making an impression." Then she refocused on her silent man. "Are those gorgeous flowers for me?"

Like the nervous first date guy he was supposed to be, he formally presented the bouquet. "You look amazing."

Sniffing the flowers she gushed. "So do you all dressed in black from head to toe." Her sunny laugh filled the room. "You're a real Scandinavian Bad Ass."

From behind Greg, Scott prodded, "You kids better get going if you want to get to Santa Barbara in time for sunset."

Taking Tawny's hand he brought it to his lips and bestowed a kiss. "Let's go, Princess."

**University Trauma Center  
****4:31 p.m. **

When Carrie returned to Nick's room, she saw Wendy was dropping off Sean. "Hi, Wen…"

Rushing by her sister-in-law Wendy announced, "I'm running to the gift shop to get gum for Nick!" She didn't want to be there when Sean popped the question. "And I have to make a phone call!"

"Who are you calling? The fire department?" After walking into the room Carrie gave her man a hug. "Hey, Honey." Acutely aware that Ryan was waiting to bust her for acting mushy, she stayed cool. "I'll read while you boys chat." After grabbing their communal copy of Harry Potter she took a seat in the corner.

"You missed it, Darlin'." Nick smiled at Sean. "Your nephew was just tellin' me what a great day he had at school and how much he was looking forward to watching the A&M game with me on Saturday."

She stared at her nephew. "But you didn't go to school today, Ryan."

"He was talking about Sean," the boy informed her. "But I get why you were confused."

"Sean?" She moved her gaze. "You had a great day at school and want to watch football?"

"Yeah!" Gushing from all the excitement he almost forgot he had a technical question. "Oh! Uncle Nick…something came up at school today and when I asked my mom to explain it, she thought it best I ask you."

"Shoot." Nick grabbed his cup of ice water and sipped.

"This girl at school said Lindsay Willows gave BJs to half the football team last year and I've never heard of that kind of drug. Is a BJ ecstasy? Because I know that's often called X."

Upon hearing the question, Nick choked on his ice water, Ryan fell into a fit of laughter, and Carrie made a beeline for the door stating, "I need to make a phone call too!" Now she knew exactly why Wendy had high-tailed it out of there.

Sean moved his gaze between his hysterical brother and Nick, who was trying not to join in the laughter and failing.

"Sorry, Sean," Nick apologized. "I don't mean to laugh. I'm sure your brother doesn't either."

"Heck, yeah I do," Ryan assured him. "Go ahead, Uncle Nick, tell him what it is."

Finally realizing his faux-pas, Sean's hand held his head. "It's a sex thing, isn't it? I can't believe I asked my mother about a sex thing."

"Yeah…it's a sex thing," Nick nodded and hoped he'd leave it at that, while knowing it wasn't going to happen.

"So, what does the acronym stand for?" the always inquisitive boy inquired.

Watching his uncle squirm Ryan prodded, "Yeah, Uncle Nick…what does it stand for?"

"You should really ask your dad to explain this to you."

"He can't ask Dad," Ryan merrily informed him. "He left on his last business trip today. He won't be back until Tuesday. That's an awful long time to leave Sean in suspense, don't you think? He could get made fun of at school if he doesn't know and…"

"Okay…okay." Nick cleared his throat. If it were Ryan he'd just say it straight up, but Sean was a whole different story. He knew he'd have to delicately frame it and build to the finale. "What do you know about sex so far, Sean?"

"It's what a man and a woman do to reproduce. First they kiss a little bit, then they remove their clothes to allow the man's penis access to the woman's vagina. Once inside, the man let's his seed flow, and then, God willing, an egg is fertilized and a baby created."

"That's good…yeah, very good," Nick stalled trying to think of a segue. "Okay…here's the deal. People have **reproductive **sex for the biological reason you just outlined, but some consensual adults…also have sex for another reason."

"Which is?" Ryan stared at his uncle.

"Because it feels nice," Nick replied, making a mental note to torture Ryan at some later date. "And when something feels nice, you like doing it just for fun, right? The goal of **reproductive** sex is a baby, and the goal of **pleasure **sex is happiness." Proud of his explanation he rested. "I hope that clears things up for you."

"How could it?" Sean wondered. "You didn't answer my question."

"Right." Nick cleared his throat once more. "Okay…like there is more than one **reason **to have sex…there's more than one **way**."

Channeling his inner smart-ass Ryan commented, "You mean like you can do it in a bed or on the floor?"

"Yes, Ryan." Nick shot daggers at the boy. "But that's not what I was alluding to. Logistically people can have sex in lots of locations…"

"Like the backseat of a car!" Sean was happy he could finally add to the conversation. "I saw that in a movie my parents were watching one night when I got up to get a glass of water."

"Right." Lowering his voice Nick explained, "And just like people can have sex on a bed or in a car, there are different places on a person's body that can be used for different types of sexual activities."

"Like what places, Uncle Nick?" Ryan inquired in faux confusion.

"You know…I won't be physically restricted forever, Punk," Nick warned.

"Okay, I'll help." Ryan placed his hand on his brother shoulders and helped, "The mouth dude."

"Oh, okay…I've seen Uncle Nick do that with Aunt Carrie."

"You have!" Ryan yelled while Nick's heart stopped.

"Yeah…and I couldn't figure out why she would want your tongue in her mouth after you ate onions, because, that has to taste gross."

Nick's heart resumed pumping as Ryan moved in for the kill. "Bro, when I said a girl let's a guy put it in her mouth, I wasn't talking about the guy's tongue, I was talking about his..." With his index finger he pointed at this crotch.

After taking a moment to process the information, Sean jumped back yelling, "But that's how we go to the bathroom! Ewww! Why would any girl let you do **that**! You're telling me girls let guys pee in their mouths? Lindsay let half the football team pee in her mouth!"

"No…" Ryan guided his brother towards enlightenment. "The other stuff…the same stuff used to make a baby."

"You guys are making this up," he insisted, finding the concept impossible to believe.

"We're not, Bro. Tonight, we'll sneak into the living room and put on Cinemax and I'll prove it to you. There's always a girl doing it to some guy every time I turn it on after eleven."

In shock he asked, "Girls really like doing that?"

"You'll have to ask Uncle Nick to field that one, I've never been in the situation, but I'm sure he's been there **plenty** of times."

When Sean turned to face him Nick knew exactly what he was thinking…_my Aunt let's you do that to her!_ "Sean…think of it like you would a birthday gift…it feels good to give someone something that brings them happiness, right? And then, when it's your turn to celebrate, that person gives you something that makes you happy in reciprocation. The man and the woman celebrate, by taking turns making each other happy. Now, in my experience, some girls are very eager to celebrate…some like to party just a little but prefer you leave before the end…and some, decline the invitation and don't party at all."

Still reeling from the newly acquired knowledge he remarked in a shaky voice, "But girls don't have a ..."

Dropping his head back on the pillows Nick groaned, "Your mother owes me big."

"No…" Ryan gave an assist. "The guy has togo to the girl to make her happy."

Overwhelmed by the weight of this new task, when he was still trying to get over what he'd have to do to make a baby one day, and what his brother insisted he'd end up doing with his hand, Sean took a seat. "I think my head's going to explode."

The unintended 'in context' reference sent Ryan into hysterics while the dutiful uncle thought…Sean, that's exactly what you'll be thinking when it's happening to you.

Once the laughter quelled Nick re-focused. "Guys, you do realize this is all information for **future **reference, right? This isn't something I did at thirteen and not something you should be doing at thirteen, no matter what the kids in school tell you or what's on TV."

"How old were you?" Sean warily asked, wondering exactly how long of a reprieve he had.

"Seventeen," he answered honestly. "Now…you also need to know there are **disease risks** anytime bodily fluids are exchanged so, you don't want to be doing it ever without knowing who you're with. Got it?"

"Got it," they echoed.

"And here are two other **very **important uses of your mouth when you're sexually active…if you're not comfortable doing something the girl wants to do, you use your mouth to say **no**, and before you try something new with a girl, you **always **use your mouth to ask her if it's okay…don't just spring it on her."

Ryan huffed, "I really think it's Lindsay that needs to hear that last part, because she didn't ask me and she didn't hear me."

**Catherine's House  
****4:45 p.m. **

Sitting on her bed Catherine clutched the phone to her ear with one hand and her hair with the other. "Wendy…I…"

"You know how vicious kids can be…there's an excellent chance it's not true," Wendy soothed.

"Considering she tackled your son in his bedroom I'm inclined to believe there's a chance it is."

"I told you because I'd want to know if…"

"I'm glad you did." Catherine stared at her reflection in the dresser mirror and noted the worry lines cutting deep into her flesh. "Thank you, Wendy. I'm uh…going to sit down with Lindsay right now."

"I'm sure I'll see you this weekend since you're moving in."

"Yeah…see you then. Bye." Upon disconnecting from the call she threw the cordless phone into the pillows and cursed herself for letting things get this out of control. Her plan from the moment she had learned of her pregnancy was to raise the child differently, and make sure it wouldn't make the same asinine decisions as she had. "Shit!"

"Yeah…it's that kind of day alright," Warrick announced as he shut the bedroom door behind him. "You know that bet we made, Cath?"

Masking her anxiety she shoved a smile on her face. "Which one? We've made plenty."

"The one about Greg's umbilical cord being cut and Nick becoming a millionaire overnight…ring a bell?"

Suddenly his expression sent a chill through her. "He told you about the settlement."

"He's my best friend…when you're close with someone you usually share things and tell them the truth. I thought I'd point that out since it seems to be a foreign concept to you." Tossing his keys on the dresser Warrick stared at his partner with contempt. "It's not the fact that the settlement occurred, it's that you played me…even if was a joke…**especially** since it was a joke." He went to the closet and grabbed a duffle bag, proceeding to randomly toss in items.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to clear my head and I can't do that here."

Leaping out of bed she yelled, "Are you crazy? We're closing on our house tomorrow afternoon. We're moving in this weekend."

"Yeah…and before I make that move I think I need to sort through the shit in my head because as of right now…" Turning to face her he said, "I'm have second thoughts."

"And what? Tomorrow you decide you don't want the house, what am I supposed to do then?"

Throwing his bag over his shoulder he coolly replied, "You can go to your Daddy and have him buy the house with you."

Rushing for the door she threw it open and headed for the kitchen. "I'm calling in sick tonight!" she yelled while opening the fridge and grabbing an open bottle of wine.

"Noted," he simply replied upon joining her in the room. "Maybe you should use that time to find out what your daughter's been up to. It will also give you an opportunity to find out what it feels like to have someone do something behind your back and lie to your face."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nicky told me that Lindsay was a grade-A bitch to Sean at school yesterday. The guy was so mortified from her public humiliation of him in the hallway, he ended up hiding in a closet crying. I can relate…it sucks having a woman make a joke out of you. Congratulations…" he snarked, "…you've done an excellent job coaching Lindsay on how to make a guy feel like shit."

Seconds from losing it Catherine lifted her wine glass. "Do I get a plaque that says 'Mother of the Year' or a trophy?"

Dropping his bag Warrick raised his voice. "On Tuesday I spent all night parenting Lindsay about morals and values and this morning you let her go to school carrying a $700 purse."

"How could I take it from her?"

"By holding out your hand and saying the purse stays home or you're not going anywhere! Just like my grandma did with me when I tried to go to school with a chunk of gold around my neck." Stuffing his hands on his hips he mimicked his guardian's voice. "Mr. Brown, you take that chain from around your neck and hand it to me or I will yank it off and take your ears with it. No grandson of mine is going to school looking like a pimp because he'll attract nothing but whores."

"It's complicated," she protested. "It was a gift from her grandfather, and she has a right to know her grandfather even if he is Sam Braun."

Angered to an extreme he blasted, "What kind of man wants his thirteen year-old granddaughter carrying a $700 purse to school! Putting aside the fact that it makes her a prime target for robbery, it makes her look like a materialistic bimbo. Is that the image you want for Lindsay? Your daddy is a hotel mogul, maybe he wants Lindsay to be the next Paris Hilton but, I can't stand by and watch that happen. I'm not going to wait until we find her in some hotel suite flipped on ecstasy and unable to recall how many guys she was with that night."

Considering the news she had just received from Wendy about Lindsay and half the football team, Catherine realized she couldn't argue the point.

Grabbing his bag from the floor Warrick pointed out, "I had a long talk with you this weekend and said the shit has to stop. I had a long talk with Lindsay on Tuesday and said the shit has to stop. You both looked me in the eyes and agreed, but as soon as I wasn't looking you went about your old ways. I can't have you and her asking me to play the partner and father roles one day, and completely tossing everything I value out the window the next. It's insanity, not to mention a complete waste of my time and my life." Knowing she didn't have a reply he went to the door and when he opened it Warrick said, "You know what I think has been going on here…I think she's been using me to keep you in check and you've been using me to keep her in check." Shrugging, he turned and walked through the door. "I'm tired of being used."

When the door shut Catherine slid down the wall clutching her wine glass. "Shit, shit, **shit**!" Silence filled the kitchen and in that silence she finally heard the sobbing in the living room. "Lindsay?" Jumping to her feet she raced into the room.

"What's wrong with us, Mom?" Lindsay asked as she choked on her tears. "Why can't we do anything right?"

In a maternal reaction Catherine's eyes welled. "I don't know, Honey." Taking a seat next to her she pulled her close. "That's the first thing I plan to ask Dr. Myers when we see her for our first appointment tomorrow."

**Highway 101 California  
****Greg's Mommy's Mercedes  
****5:01 p.m. **

"It's Dr. Myers. She loves the flowers," Tawny informed Greg when she covered the receiver of her cell phone. They had sent her a beautiful bouquet with a card that said, _Thank you for getting us to California! We're having a great time_. "We're really happy you like them. You deserve them...actually you deserve a lot more but, we're on a budget now."

Through the phone the doctor chuckled. "Don't forget, I'm getting paid well, so don't feel guilty."

"We're going out on our first date," Tawny gushed into the phone. "Greg looks totally hot and he's taking me to watch the sunset and then we're going to have a fabulous dinner. After that, we're spending the night at this very luxurious B&B that only the rich and famous know about. It's so close to the ocean you can hear the waves crashing." After winking at him she commented, "It's just like a fantasy I once had."

"Sounds fabulous, Tawny. Have a wonderful time."

Waving his hand Greg said, "I need to talk to her."

"Greg would like to talk to you."

"He's driving. He knows I don't talk to patients when they're driving."

Before Tawny said anything Greg decelerated and pulled into a rest stop. "I know she won't talk to me if I'm driving."

"We've pulled over," Tawny informed her. "Here he is." She handed over the phone and relaxed against the leather.

"Hey, Doc. I was planning on calling you with this tomorrow, but since you're on the phone I figured I'll ask you now." Taking Tawny's hand he brought it to his lips for a kiss. "I know you said I shouldn't tell my dad the truth about what happened when I was thirteen without being in your office but, we've got this great bonding vibe going and I think…"

"Stop."

"Stopping."

In a stern voice the doctor said, "I told you that the revelation will be a huge blow to your father and he will need professional support to cope. It doesn't have to be me. If there's someone out there you can see that's fine. To casually tell him will be an immature and selfish move. We've discussed at length how you get over-excited and make decisions based on what you want, without considering what's best for all parties involved. Here are two words to jar your memory…unprotected sex. If you tell your father, you'll feel better because you transferred the angst off your shoulders to his, but he'll be devastated…and you're not qualified to help him cope with that devastation. Are my thoughts on the matter crystal clear?"

"You had me at immature and selfish." He glanced over at Tawny. "Those are two things I'm desperately trying not to be anymore."

"Thank you." She blew a heavy sigh. "I can do a little research and find you a reputable therapist in California if you feel you can't get your father to come to Vegas."

"No, I know he'll come with me if I ask him. I told him about being in therapy and you thinking it would be a good idea for us to have some sessions together."

"Then why do you sound conflicted?"

"You know why." When Tawny slid closer and rested her head on his shoulders his tension eased. "I don't want my mom to know what I'm doing because she'll try and stop me. She doesn't think he should ever know."

"And why do you think she thinks that, Greg?"

"Because he'll think less of me. The thing is…after talking openly with him about other stuff, I really don't think that's going to be the case."

"Can you tell your mother that? You know my professional opinion is that your mother should be a part of the session too because she's the one who drafted the ruse and lied to your father."

"No, I can't tell her…I can't handle both of them there at once. I want to tell my dad, and then tell my mom I told my dad. After that we can have some sessions together." He took a centering breath. "I'll ask my dad to come to Vegas and help me with some stuff and once he's here I'll ask him if he'd like to come to therapy with me."

"Call me and let me know as soon as you have a timeframe, so we can arrange something. We'll need a two hour block for the initial. I'm proud of you, Greg. You're making solid progress."

"Thanks." His smile returned as he gave Tawny's left hand a squeeze. "I'll be making a little more progress before Monday. Take care, Dr. Myers."

"You too, Greg. And have a great time on your date. Try not to be burdened tonight. The two of you deserve a stress-free night. I look forward to hearing from you again when the ring's on her finger."

"You bet. Bye."

Returning to the road Greg sweetly said, "There's a sunset with your name on it, Princess."

"Not just any sunset. A sunset on **the ocean**."

"I'm psyched I'll be with you for your virgin glimpse of the surf." Reaching in his jacket pocket he pulled out a CD. "Here…I picked this up for you today. Play number six."

"Ooh, Faith Hill. I love her music. Breathe is like one of my favorite songs ever." When she caught him grinning Tawny said, "But you knew that because you've caught me playing it a million times. I didn't know she had a new CD. Then again, I've been a little preoccupied lately." After popping in the disc she grinned at her date. "Thank you."

"How am I doing on the date so far?"

"You're nailing it, Sweetie."

His grin as bright as the California sun, Greg waited for Tawny's reaction to the lyrics to Fireflies. He had heard his backup singers discussing it with his mother and asked to listen to it on the girl's Ipod.

When he saw Tawny carefully swiping tears from her eyes Greg tenderly said, "I didn't mean to make you cry. Now you're going to ruin your make up. I'm really sorry."

"No." She fanned her hand in front of her eyes. "I planned ahead and wore waterproof makeup because I figured my tears would be flowing several times before night's end…all tears of **joy** of course."

"Thanks for clearing that up, Sweetie."

"Those lyrics about using a glass bottleto catch fireflies...I used to catch them in one of my mom's canning jars,bring it into my room and pretend it was Tink."

"I know…" he answered with pride. "When I heard the song, I remembered seeing you with a jar full of fireflies in the childhood photos you showed me."

"That's so…" Choking up, she placed her hand on his thigh. "Do you mind if I play it again?"

"As far as I'm concerned you can program the song on repeat and listen to it the entire ride if you'd like." Placing his hand over hers he lovingly said, "Tonight is all about you, Princess…making you feel as special as you are." His voice cracking he added, "And how I wish I treated you from the moment we met."

"Seriously crying here."

"Joy?"

"An overdose."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

In 150+ chapters Gil and Sara have never both been out of a chapter so, I hope GS'ers will forgive me and remember Nick and Carrie just had a 'no show' chapter as well and Greg and Tawny will have one in the future.

Thanks to Misty-J for leaving a review!

**Next Chapter:** Someone receives a warning that they could be in physical danger in the future…someone figures things out a little too late…someone has a dream come true and so does someone else…someone suffers a fate worse than prison…someone gasps at the sight of a diamond ring…someone has their ass kicked and so does someone else…someone spends time at a no-tell motel…someone realizes they chose well. LOL…I'm in too nice of a mood to make you sweat. I'm having a little fun with deceptive spoilers here. No one should be too worried ;-) **Posting**: Friday morning

**Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, **

**Maggs**


	22. Chapter 22

**Laws of Motion - Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 22**

**September 1, 2005  
****University Trauma Center  
****5:11 p.m. **

As soon as Nick saw Wendy and Carrie pop their heads into the room for a status he yelled, "You! **Mrs.** Blake…I'd love a private moment with you." He shooed the boys. "Gentlemen…it was lovely chatting. Now go wait out in the hall with your aunt."

Like an errant child, Wendy entered the room hanging her head. "I guess Sean told you I advised him to ask you about the…."

"Would you please shut the door?" Nick cheerily asked while readying his verbal pounce. "Thanks."

Wendy didn't wait to grovel. "I panicked. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have had him spring that on you. It's just…with Paul gone…I'm really struggling talking to the boys about sex. I never thought I'd be this way…I **swore **I would be a totally cool mom who could talk openly about anything but, that was before I realized they'd be staring at me thinking…Mommy, you do **that**! I choke every time!"

Seeing how tormented Wendy was, Nick lightened his approach, "Look…I don't have a problem pinch hitting for Paul, but a little warning would be nice. And you could at least tell him it's a sexual question, because the boy felt like a fool askin' me in front of his brother and Carrie."

"You know what I told Sean last night?" She cringed, "That I never took my clothes off with another person until I was married." When she saw him shaking his head in disapproval Wendy said, "Oh, like you would tell your thirteen year old daughter that before you were married you slept with a ton of women, and that you used to bang her Mama in closets at parties. You wait and see, Pal…you'll be saying you wore a chastity ring until you proposed."

"I'd like to hope I could find a happy medium and keep it real but, you're right, I don't know how I'll feel when the time comes. Sorry for being uppity."

After they exchanged smiles Wendy cautiously asked, "So…you explained what it was?"

"Yep, and I stressed that the information was for **future **knowledge, not this weekend." Nick sheepishly confessed, "Ryan helped fill in some of the blanks because I was squirmin' a little too. Only because I kept thinking…he thinks I'm doing this with Carrie." With a straight face he stated, "For the record, Carrie and I don't…."

Wendy burst out laughing. "That's funny, because she just told me a different story in the patient lounge when she asked if she could borrow an apron." When his jaw dropped Wendy continued the taunt, "I told her she could have one, but not to bother returning it after she plays Betty Crocker Licks the Spoon with you."

"Huh?"

Staving off her laughter Wendy explained, "Knowing about her severe lack of sexual experience, I couldn't resist mentioning the use of cake frosting to augment the activity. Ha! You know when something's covered in chocolate, that girl is voracious…you can thank me now if you'd like."

Gulping he replied, "You're killin' me here."

"I know!" To make it worse she said, "I told her to warm the frosting **slightly,** but considering her lack of cooking skills, I'd test the temperature first if I were you …you wouldn't want to show up in the ER with third degree burns on your johnson."

"I don't think I'll be able to eat another frosted cupcake from your kitchen again, Sis." Covering his face he laughed, "Sheesh….you're a real naughty soccer mom, you know that."

"Don't tell her I told you and try to act surprised."

"Oh…I'm sure that won't be a problem."

Meanwhile, in the hallway, you could cut the silence with a knife as Carrie finally realized the reason Sean and Ryan couldn't look at her had to do with their new knowledge of a certain sexual practice and them trying not to imagine her engaging in the activity with Nick.

Hoping to cut the tension, Carrie announced, "So…um…the doctor told Nick that, barring any complications, he'll be discharged Saturday at noon. I'm going to have a little welcome home/A&M season opener party for him. I hope you boys don't have plans that night."

"No," they replied while staring at the floor.

"Great!" She knew they were still thinking about the BJ talk so, she forged on hoping to get their minds off it. "Your mom said you could come early and help me blow balloons." When their eyes darted to her, Carrie flustered. "Uh…yeah, I need your help because I don't blow balloons…or anything for that matter…beach balls…inflatable tubes…bubble gum…**nothing**."

"Don't worry, we didn't think you did," Ryan replied while trying not to laugh.

"Yes, Aunt Carrie," Sean assured her. "During the course of the discussion, it was clear to me that Uncle Nick was referencing his experiences with the many other women with whom he engaged in sexual activity prior to loving you."

"Dude…" Cracking up, Ryan gave his brother a shove. "I'll explain why later but, trust me…you're making it worse."

**Celeste's Car  
****5:56 p.m. **

When Celeste had informed David that she'd be taking him out for a night on the town, in his wildest dreams he never imagined she'd bring him to Chuck E Cheese for her co-worker's son's sixth birthday party. Now, sitting in the passenger's seat staring at the entrance marked by a giant cartoon mouse sporting obnoxious clothing and a toothy grin, fear gripped him. "How long is this party?" he asked with trepidation while watching loud, hyper children rush the door.

"Two hours," she happily informed him while grabbing the Pokemon gift bag she had stashed in the back seat so her ruse wouldn't be blown. "The pizza is really good here. This is my third co-worker's kid's party here this year."

Dumbfounded, he inquired, "Why do your co-workers invite you to their children's birthday parties? My co-workers never even invite me to their parties, no less parties for their kids."

"They invite me because they feel sorry for me not having a social life." Smiling at her husband of five days Celeste said, "Maybe they'll stop inviting me now that I'm married."

Seeing the happiness dancing in her eyes David lightened up. "Sorry I'm being such a grouch about this. For a minute I thought you arranged this to try and get me to like kids."

"Are you kidding?" Her laughter shook the car. "This is the last place I'd bring you. I think Chuck E is Satan's minion, because by the time the party's over, even the sweetest girls have turned into demons."

**Becca's**** House  
****San Marino, CA  
****6:11 p.m. **

While her mother stood at the kitchen counter opening a bottle of Pinot Noir, Becca hit the speakerphone button on her phone and played her messages.

_Hey, Becks…it's Hoj. I got your message and left you one on your cell. Since I didn't hear from you I thought I'd try you at home. After this morning, I **really **need to talk to you, but I don't want to say what's on my mind in a message. I hope you can call me before five because after that, I won't be reachable until at least noon tomorrow. I really don't want this to wait until I see you at the club. So, call me, okay…and this time…promise me you'll stop and listen to what I have to say._

"That Sanders boy is** still** chasing you?" Sandra Wrightsville, formerly Mrs.Turnbull, Mrs. Hanson and Mrs. Valen, rolled her eyes. "I suppose he heard of your divorce and thinks he has a shot." Gently placing her palm on her daughter's cheek she counseled, "Don't be cruel and lead him on again, Rebecca. As soon as you see him, just tell him that he's not good enough for you."

"Nice."

Filling her glass Sandra waxed on, "Bev tries to talk up his accomplishments at the club all the time but she's not fooling anyone… he has to work for pennies around vile criminals because he's too much of a misfit to fit into a corporate position. Why you spent so much time with him when you were in school is beyond me."

"I know exactly why, Mother…" Grabbing a wine glass for herself she explained, "…since his parents didn't loathe each other, I spent time there because his house was a fun, loving place to be. And Hoj…he gave me the one thing you and dad never did and still don't…affection." After a sip she sighed, "But affection wasn't enough for the old me and I stupidly listened to you and married for money."

Raising her glass in the gourmet kitchen Sanda grinned, "And look at what it got you…a mini-mansion, Jag, jewels, and a shitload of money in the bank. Aww…you poor girl." Glancing around she cackled, "Where's my violin." She paused to down half of her glass. "Rebecca Darling…go ahead and slum it with Greg Sanders for the weekend if you must, but don't come crying to me when real men shun you afterwards because once desirable men learn you've lowered your standards…they'll steer clear."

"I think you'll be surprised when you see him," Becca informed her while grabbing the cordless to replay the message for her listening pleasure only. "He's changed quite a bit since you last saw him."

Scoffing at the notion she asked, "Is he still driving that clown car?"

"When I saw him this morning he was behind the wheel of a brand new Mercedes SLK350," Becca happily informed her cold-hearted mother who had coached her on cynicism since the cradle. She conveniently left out the part about it being a rental. "And he's hot as hell. He looked like he walked out of an Abercrombie catalog."

The last statement gave Sandra the giggles. "Okay, now I know what the problem is…you're hard up. Rebecca Dear, hop into your car, head to the nearest adult store, and once there, treat yourself to a new battery-operated sex toy."

Without acknowledging her mother's commentary Becca hurried out of the kitchen and rushed to her bedroom all the while listening to Greg's message and melting from the sexy tenor of his voice.

Once in her bedroom, she shut the door, and crashed on the bed. Closing her eyes she focused on a memory of them together…it was the summer before their freshman year at Stanford, and Darren Williams had just dumped her before heading to Boston the next day for his first term at Harvard. To cheer her up, Greg had driven her to the beach.

_"Do you need more tissues, Becks?" Greg sweetly asked as he stepped out of the RX-7 his mother bought him as a graduation gift. _

_"Yeah," she sniffled while taking a seat on the stone wall to watch the sun fading with her latest dreams. _

_"Here you go," Greg whispered, while placing his sweatshirt around her shoulders and handing her the requested Kleenex. "Becca, come on…Darren Williams isn't worth one of your tears, no less three hours of them."_

_"That bastard promised he'd fly me out for Thanksgiving break." _

_"How could you trust a guy who ran over a dog with his car and didn't look back?" She had told him the disturbing story weeks earlier. "It was someone's pet and he didn't bat an eye." _

_"He was wasted," she reminded him. "He was afraid he'd get a DUI." _

_"Hello?" Standing behind her at the wall he scolded, "How can you trust a guy who risked your life by driving while obliterated? I'd never be so reckless with you." Gently placing his hands on her shoulders Greg quietly confessed, "Because you mean too much to me." _

_Closing her eyes Becca leaned back against him. "Hold me." Feeling vulnerable, she loved the security he provided. _

_In silence Greg wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Better?" _

_"In your arms is the only place I can ever really relax." Cuddling closer she basked in the comfort his embrace always provided. While boyfriend after boyfriend provided physical attention, Greg was the only person in her life that consistently provided affection. "I love how you hold me, Hoj." _

_"And I…um…love…you." _

_The ring of her cellphone that she had left behind in the car sent her leaping off the wall. "Oh my god! Maybe Darren had a change of heart!"_

Staring at the ceiling she wished she could turn back time and not take the call. It had indeed been Darren on the phone having a change of heart and while Greg took off walking towards the ocean, she told her 'on-again' boyfriend where to pick her up. After a night of non-stop make-up sex, Darren dumped her again at sunrise and left for the airport.

Thinking back, she recalled the intense sadness in Greg's watery eyes when she tracked him down on the beach to tell him she wouldn't need a ride home. And she knew when he turned his back to watch the sunset without her, tears spilled from his eyes…hot, thick tears, just like the ones streaming down her cheeks right now as she realized she had the perfect guy all along.

**Santa Barbara, CA  
****6:42 p.m. **

"I can't believe I'm finally seeing the ocean!" Tawny exclaimed as she threw open the French doors leading to the balcony of their romantic bedroom. "Wow," she exhaled upon descending the four stairs to reach the furthest rail. Directly below the waves rolled and crashed against the rocks. "It's…

"Amazing." Greg stood off to the side watching Tawny breathe in the salty air and miraculous view. "Spectacular."

"I'll say." Filling her lungs with a sea-scented breeze she wistfully exclaimed, "I've never seen anything so beautiful."

Joining her at the rail Greg replied in an incredulous whisper, "My thoughts exactly." He couldn't take his eyes off her wondrous expression.

Forcing her gaze off the rumbling waves she demurely glanced in his direction. "You're not even looking at the water."

Removing his jacket, Greg broke into an easy smile. "You know how you've dreamed of seeing the ocean your whole life?" From behind, he gently placed his coat over her bare shoulders and then slipped his arms around her waist. "My whole life…I've dreamed of being kissed by a girl who loves me while we're watching the sunset on the water together."

"One dream down…" Leaning back against his chest she blissfully sighed, "…and I predict yours is imminent." After tracking a seagull swoop and soar along the coast Tawny said, "You know what this reminds me of…"

"Rose and Jack watching the sunset from the railing of the Titanic?"

"Yes!" She laughed at herself. "You know me so well. I love that scene."

"And I love you, Tawny." Gliding his palm over the tiny bulge hidden by her red chiffon dress his heart raced. "So much and forever," he murmured against her ear while the sun was in the final minutes of its plunge.

Melting from his loving words, Tawny turned to gaze into his eyes. "I guess California really is a place where dreams come true, Greg." Grazing her fingertips over his cheek she whispered, "Because I'm a girl who loves you with all her heart…" Teasingly, she brushed her lips over his eager mouth. "…and we're here watching the sunset on the water…" Taking his bottom lip between her parted ones, she initiated the dreamy kiss.

Although the breeze coming off the water was chilly, the kiss warmed their bodies, and soon its tenderness was replaced with an intensity that rivaled the waves crashing below.

Only seconds into the kiss Greg realized his old dream wasn't half as wonderful as the reality Tawny was bestowing upon him and when the need for a deep breath finally forced their lips to part he declared in a breathy voice, "At the risk of repeating myself, I have one word for that lip lock…**amazing!** So worth the wait! On a scale of one to ten it was easily a thousand. The only thing that could have enhanced that experience would have been me slipping a ring on your finger after it." Smiling sweetly he shrugged, "But proposing on our first date would have been presumptuous. Besides…" He laughed at himself before saying the words that had become a sweet joke between them. "…I have this plan."

"So I've heard," Tawny answered in her usual curious tone. "Don't worry…" She returned his toothy grin. "I know that mind-blowing mystery moment when you present the ring, which is scheduled to occur some time between Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon, will be well worth the wait too."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****6:51 p.m. **

"Have you seen my reading glasses, Lina?" Ron inquired upon walking into the living room.

Lifting her eyes from her knitting she asked, "When do you remember having them last?"

"Uh…" He scratched his head. "I think I was in the office reviewing the month end financial statements Leticia faxed over…or I was in the bathroom." When he saw her cock her head Ron announced, "How about you check my desk and I'll check the john?"

Setting down the blanket she was making for Baby Grissom, she headed down the hall for the office. Once there, she went immediately over to the desk to check for the lost item but instead of finding glasses, she happened upon a burgundy velvet box sitting on a folded note with her name scrawled across it. "Guero!" she called out while sliding the note out from under the gift. "I've been had," she teased, realizing the search was just a ruse to get her into the office.

Curiosity getting the better of her she decided to read the note before he arrived.

_Dearest Lina, _

_I'm sorry it took me so long to arrive at such an obvious decision. __My delay was fueled by many fears, including a feeling of inadequacy __in__ the presence of someone as worthy as you. Fear of rejection didn't __help__ matters either. Nor did my fear of failing at something I've been __so__ awful at so many times. But my fears melted away in your arms __the__ other night when I held your hand and you held my eyes with __yours__ and it is with newfound courage that I'm taking this step._

_I love you, Lina. I'm nothing without you. _

_The only reason I'm a __better__ man today is because of your patience and skills as coach. I __never__ would have recovered from heart surgery if it wasn't for your __encouragement__ and the knowledge that I'd have you to come home __to__. I wouldn't have a relationship with my boy if it wasn't for you. __I owe everything to you...my health, my happiness, my heart. __So, if you're willing to take a chance with a three-time loser like me, I'd be __honored__ if you'd agree to officially be my partner for the rest of my life. __I don't know how long that will be but, the one thing I know for sure __is…__as long as you're by my side, I'll love every minute of life._

_Will you marry me, Lina?_

"No pressure," Ron assured her from the doorway. "But you should know I have a chapel booked for tomorrow at five, Sara and Gil on standby to be our best man and matron of honor, and my jet prepped to whisk the four of us to San Francisco to celebrate for the night. But like I said…no pressure."

"You didn't end up building a business empire because you were ineffective at closing a deal, Mr. Grissom." Lifting the box her lips curved into an endless smile. "Yes, I'd love to marry you."

"Really?"

"You're selling past the close, Guero," she teased while extending the ring box.

"I want you to know that I wrote it all out at Sara's suggestion because I told her I was terrified of messing it up if I tried to say what was on my mind. I hope you don't mind."

"I'll treasure that piece of paper forever," she lovingly replied.

"Thank you for understanding." Taking the box, Ron cracked it open and presented the ring.

"Dios Mio." Her hands clutched her chest. "It's exquisite."

"Exactly…it's just like you." Plucking the ring from its velvet slot, Ron held it in front of her. "Obviously I could have walked in and said I'll purchase the most expensive ring in the shop, but I didn't. I picked the one that reminded me of you…this ring is delicate yet bold…it's old fashioned but modern…it's gorgeous and complex. It's represents everything I love about you." Taking her left hand he grinned. "Thank you for saying yes."

As he placed the ring on her finger, the first tears of joy slipped from her eyes. "I'm so happy."

**Chuck E Cheese  
****6:58 p.m. **

After the first fifteen minutes, prison was the only place David imagined could be more miserable and by the close of the first hour, he had changed his mind and thought it would be a step up.

Seated at a table directly in front of the dance floor surrounded by obnoxious animatronic creatures singing horrid songs in voices that would make screeching alley cats cringe, he dug his nails into his cheap vinyl chair and fought the urge to scream.

"Time to do the birthday conga!" a man wearing a referee shirt and a ball cap announced after blowing his whistle way too many times for David's sanity. "Who wants to wear one of our funny hats?"

When Bob, the 'party ref' extended an oversized purple cowboy hat in his direction, David deadpanned, "Do you delouse those after every party?"

"I'll take that as a no, you don't want to wear it," Bob replied while moving on to someone with a personality.

"I'm back!" Celeste merrily announced. "I got some tokens and came to challenge you to a game of Whack-a-Mole."

"Uh…out there…with **them**?"

"You'll finally get to leave the party room and won't be forced to join the conga line."

"Let's play!" He darted out of his seat and followed her toward the games area of the massive building filled with shrieking children and screaming parents.

"I find this game really releases the tension I build up at work." She plunked two tokens in the coin slot. "Pick up your mallet and then when the moles pop out of their holes you nail 'em. And you better go for it because I'm planning on kicking your ass."

**The Training Zone  
****7:09 p.m**.

"How's your ass feeling, Gil?" Irving inquired after torturing his client with a second round of squats.

"I think…I'm done," he panted in reply as his muscles burned.

"No, I don't think that you are." Irving tapped his pencil on the clipboard. "You're the submissive in this relationship, remember? Give me another set of ten. Think of something pleasant to get you through the pain…your wife…bugs…whatever thought will put you in a happy place."

"Your demise," he quipped while bending his knees for the first of ten excruciating squats.

"Excellent! Nine more, let's go, Gil." After watching him complete the second Irving scolded, "Now that wasn't half as low as the first. It doesn't count. Nine more! Come on…let's get that ass sexy for Sara."

With the music on, neither man heard the door open or Sofia enter.

"Sorry…am I interrupting?" she asked while dropping her purse on Irving's desk.

"Hey, there," Irving greeted his date. "Sorry, we're running late because Gil spent the first fifteen minutes helping me with my school work."

Mortified by Sofia's presence when he looked so pathetic Gil announced, "That's okay, I'll let the two of you…"

"Not a chance, Gil." Irving tapped his clipboard. "Seven more good ones."

Pointing to the door Sofia announced, "I'll wait outside because Gil intensely dislikes me."

"He does?" Irving said in surprise.

"Uh…" Returning from squat seven Gil remembered his wife's wise words…_I'd watch what you say about Sofia. Irving might drop a weight on your toe on purpose. They're going out again tonight and it sounds like they've really hit it off._ "That's not true. I don't dislike her."

Irving nodded approvingly. "Six more! You got it in the bag, Bugman!"

Moving to her date's side Sofia grinned at Grissom. "He's only saying that because he's afraid you'll hurt him if he admits I get on his nerves."

"Hey, Gil…it's okay if you think she gets on your nerves. She's already gotten on my nerves a couple of times. She even showed up at my apartment ninety minutes early for a date to surprise me and catch the real me instead of the date me."

Rising from the fifth tortuous squat Gil panted, "That…had to be…incredibly unnerving."

"He took it in stride," Sofia chuckled as she moved to sit in Irving's chair.

"She means I passed her test."

"Grissom…" Sofia smirked, "Who knew you had such cute legs under those baggy pants you always wear? I'll have to spread that around at the lab."

Irving looked at his client. "Channeling anger is another effective method to pushing past the pain. Four more!"

Suddenly Gil had energy to burn.

"Awesome! Give me three more just like that."

"I can give you twelve," he countered while gritting his teeth.

Irving glanced over his shoulder. "Sof'…can you do me a favor and show up at the **beginning** of his next session?"

Loving the way he called her 'Sof' she winked. "No sweat…which is not something I can say about your client…he's drenched. Does Sara mind that you're so out of shape that you can't keep up with her?"

"Oh, yeah! Keep channeling that animosity, Gil!" Irving clapped his hands. "You've never shown this much commitment to your work out. Six more and you can go home to your hot tub and soak."

**The Sanders Home  
****7:21 p.m. **

While their son was out wooing his soon-to-be fiancée, Bev and Scott relaxed in their hot tub sipping Pinot Grigio and discussing wedding plans.

"So you're alright with upgrading the wedding package to The Dream of a Lifetime from The Millennium? It's ten grand instead of six."

"Absolutely," he cheerily replied while refilling his wife's glass. "In that package all of Tawny's salon needs are included and she won't have to take that money out of her budget. She can spend a little more on a veil and shoes that way. And they'll love having the penthouse suite."

"Listen to you." Bev laughed at her husband. "See…now that you have a little girl to spoil you're realizing it's not as easy to say no."

"We only get to do this once and I want to enjoy it." Scott clinked his glass against Bev's and asked before sipping, "Have you come to a total for the reception and extras yet?"

"The way they had it planned it was twenty, but they were scrimping on a few things so I added a bit and it's up to twenty-five now."

Relaxing in the bubbles Scott said, "Thirty-five grand for a complete wedding is quite light compared to the norm at the club. Howie's shindig is apparently hitting the hundred mark."

"Well, they only have fifty four people on their guest list, mostly work friends and their significant others. Greg assumed we'd have about fifty family friends we'd want to include. That kept it down."

"And…" Scott's thought was interrupted by the door bell chiming through the backyard speaker.

"Who could that be?" Bev curiously inquired while watching her naked husband step out of the hot tub. "Don't forget your robe, Honey," she teased.

"It's a good thing Greg is marrying an exhibitionist," he joked. "Tawny won't be uptight if we slip up and forget we can't walk around naked as usual this weekend."

"He warned her that we were uninhibited sun worshipping Californians." Laughing, Bev grabbed her wine glass. "I told him to take Tawny to one of the nude beaches tomorrow morning because he'll be the envy of every man there."

"What did he say?" Scott asked while cinching his white spa robe.

"Tawny's naked body is no longer available to the general public for viewing for free, or for twenty-five bucks and a two drink minimum."

"That's sweet…in a way I can't describe." With that, Scott padded through the house smiling. When he peeked through the peephole he was surprised to see Becca Turnbull standing on the doorstep looking like she stepped out of Vogue. "Hi, Sweetheart," he warmly greeted upon opening the door. "Don't you look gorgeous this evening? You must be on your way someplace special. What brings you here first?"

"Hello, Mr. S." She greeted him with a hug. As always, he returned it with the eagerness she wished her father would. "I'm looking for Greg actually." Becca held up her cell. "We've been playing phone tag all day and he left me a message saying he needed to speak with me by five. Unfortunately I was stuck in a hellish meeting with my firm's partners and missed his call. Now I can't reach him on his cell. I was hoping you could tell me where he is so I could track him down." With a sparkle in her eye she confessed, "I can't wait until tomorrow. I **really** need to see him."

"Uh…" As hard as it was for Scott to fathom, it appeared that elusive Becca was finally longing for his son. "I'm afraid I can't help you, Honey. He's out on a date and I don't know where he and the young lady have gone." It was a lie of course, but a necessary one. The last thing Greg needed was Becca showing up in Santa Barbara. The one time he had a date in high school she showed up looking for his shoulder to cry on.

"A date?" she replied in a stunned tone. "But he…"

"You know you had your chance, right? I mean, my boy worshipped the ground you walked on. Hell, he even went to Stanford just be to closer to you when he could have been at MIT or Princeton…but you knew that." Tapping her lightly on the shoulder Scott winked, "It's okay…I know you've never been romantically interested in Greg, and the way he acted a lot of the time I certainly didn't blame you. The eyeliner…oy…" He chuckled sweetly. "I was just teasing you, Sweetheart."

Still reeling from the revelation she asked, "Is it someone he met yesterday?" Greg was so nice she knew he wouldn't break a date with someone even after the connection they made that morning.

Realizing that Greg hadn't told Becca about Tawny and afraid he'd say something wrong Scott replied, "Look…I really don't feel comfortable giving you the details of my son's love life. That should be up to him, don't you think?"

"Right…right," She laughed through the awkward moment. "I guess I was back in high school for a minute. Sorry for being so nosy."

In a moment of pride for his boy, who he watched pining over the girl on his doorstep for far too many years, Scott said, "We don't expect them back at the house until tomorrow afternoon, but when I see Greg I'll tell him you were looking for him."

The fact that it was an overnight date and that Greg's parents had met the girl shocked her. "That's okay…you don't have to tell him. I've left him a message and I'm sure he'll call when he has a chance. Goodnight, Mr. S." She raised her hand to wave as she walked away.

"Night, Sweetheart." When she was safely in her car he returned inside and smirked, "Damn…I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees Tawny on Greg's arm."

**La Fleur  
****7:27 p.m. **

Clutching Greg's arm, Tawny gasped when they entered the dimly lit French restaurant. "Wow…this place is gorgeous." With only twelve well-spaced candle and flower-covered tables, intimacy and romance were clearly the establishment's priorities.

"My mom e-mailed me a few suggestions when I told her I was looking for someplace special to take you. As soon as I saw the website photos of this place, I knew this was the one." Bringing her hand to his lips he whispered, "Gold velvet chairs…fine linens…a dreamy atmosphere. It was the only one fit for a princess."

"Greg Sanders, you really know how to show a lady a good time." Giggling from the butterfly kiss, Tawny teased, "I'm starting to think you've done all this many times before and you lied about being unlucky with the ladies."

Cupping her face he said, "The only reason I'm not a bumbling idiot on this date, is because I'm not terrified of rejection. I know you'll be driving home with me and most importantly…I know you love me back."

A minute later when they were caught up in a passionate kiss, Greg and Tawny heard a man forcefully clearing his throat and quickly parted.

"Do you have a reservation?" the silver-haired Maitre D coolly inquired.

Feeling the effects of the kiss in every inch of his body, Greg's voice cracked when he answered, "Sanders, party of two. We have a seven-thirty reservation."

"Ahh…" Now that he knew who the lusty couple was, Jean-Luc changed his tone. "The best table in the house is waiting for you and your lovely date, Mr. Sanders. Right this way."

"I didn't specify a table when I called," Greg announced. "So this is a really nice surprise."

In his customer's ear Jean-Luc whispered, "Your mother paid me generously to have the whole place be at your beck and call. So don't worry about tipping…you're set."

Upon seeing the look on Greg's face Tawny chuckled, "Your mother paid him, didn't she?"

"Yep." Holding out Tawny's chair he said, "My mommy apparently really wants me to score tonight."

The Maitre D raised a brow. "Excuse the oxymoron in advance…she also pre-paid for our **best bottle of non-alcoholic bubbly**." He snapped his fingers toward the Sommelier to ready the bottle of swill.

"It's a special occasion because it's our first date." Tawny patted her tummy. "And I can't have the good stuff because I'm just about three months pregnant with our twins." From the look on the man's face she realized how odd that sounded. "Can we forget I said that and just pretend we're recovering alcoholics? That's much more common." When the man nodded as he walked away Tawny smiled. "Let's pretend we met in rehab and fell in love…kind of like 28 Days with Sandra Bullock. Even though she didn't hook up with the ballplayer at the end, I have a feeling they got together eventually because they had excellent chemistry…just like us."

Reaching across the table Greg took Tawny's hand. "Ahh…the dangers of Rumspringa...the naïve Amish girl became an alcoholic."

"And why were you in rehab?"

"I drank to alleviate my loneliness…and since I had an abundance of loneliness and tequila, I developed a problem."

"That's very sad." She puffed out her bottom lip. "That's why I felt really sorry for you when I met you in group."

"And your compassion, combined with your small town charm, is why I fell in love with you during equine therapy."

Grinning she continued the game. "Luckily, in rehab we got shook our addiction to alcohol by replacing it with a sexual addiction to each other."

"Ah yes…but they don't provide condoms in rehab because you're supposed to be practicing abstinence…hence the baby before our first date."

"Right! And that's why we re-checked ourselves into the center…to fight our new addiction. Alas, after a month we decided it wasn't a problem because we loved each other and would be getting married."

"Since it was a voluntary check-in, we sprung ourselves and flew to Santa Barbara to celebrate." Bursting into a smile Greg announced, "And here we are at _Le Fleur_ ordering non-alcoholic champagne to celebrate our first date."

"That's so romantic!" she giggled, while placing her free hand over Greg's. "We're so weird sometimes."

"I really love that about us." Dropping his free hand over hers he confessed, "I feel like I finally met a woman who speaks my language."

"Yep!" She proudly admitted, "I'm fluent in English, German and Chuckles."

**Chuck E Cheese  
****7:40 p.m. **

"I need more tokens!" David yelled to Celeste. "I'm the Whack-a-Mole King!" Not a kid in the place had come close to beating him and his pride filled the room.

"Here you go, Honey." Celeste loaded two tokens in the machine.

"Who will foolishly attempt to de-throne me this time!" he challenged the crowd while holding his rubber mallet as far as the chain it was linked to would allow.

When no one came forward Celeste took the open spot. "They know they don't stand a chance."

"It's my cheetah-like reflexes," he explained. "Most people find them intimidating."

"I think it's the fact that you made a five year old cry."

"Hey!" When he looked down he saw a small girl wiping her greasy pizza hands on his khaki pants before running off into the crowd. "Do you see what that little urchin did to my new pants! Ugh! Kids should really be banned from this place."

"What!" Sensing there was no hope for her cause, Celeste funneled her disappointment and anger into whacking moles. "It's a **kids** place, David!" she chided while bashing the first rodent. "You're the one who doesn't fit in!"

"What do you mean!" he quizzed before smashing two moles in a row.

"I mean you're the only one in here who hates kids!" she shrieked before opening up a can of whoop ass on the plastic critters. "I can't believe I married a man who hates kids!" When the buzzer sounded indicating that Celeste won, she turned to face her kid-loathing husband. "So much for your cheetah-like reflexes!"

"Way to go, Honey!" David congratulated his spouse.

Now that she didn't have moles to whack, Celeste's frustration returned with a vengeance. With the mallet still in her hand, she used it to pound her man.

"Ow!" he yelped while backing out of her range. "What was that for? You won!"

"Are you kidding? No, I didn't!" she angrily corrected. "I lost! I'm a loser at love! First I get left at the altar, and now I marry a guy only to find out **after **the fact that he hates kids when I love them!"

A very nice stranger from a table nearby slipped two tokens in the Whack-a-Mole game, "There you go…you can smack the crap out of the moles again," the lady said while scooting her kids out of the booth to run for the door.

As soon as the critters started jumping Celeste began bashing them physically and herself verbally. "I'm cursed! Cursed! I find a man who is perfect for me in every way except one of the most important ones. Why do the gods smite me!" she yelled while beating a mole beyond reason. "I give to charity, help old people across the street and buy Girl Scout cookies! Fifteen freaking boxes of Thin Mints later, I have four more pounds on my hips, but not an ounce of good karma! **It's…not…fair!**"

"Look, Honey!" David shouted to get her attention. "I'm trying to like kids for you!"

In his arms she saw he was holding a small boy who she figured was about four years old. "Who is he?"

David shrugged. "I don't know." Bouncing the child up and down he enthusiastically said, "See…I'm loving this!"

"He's not my daddy!" the boy, who was obviously trained on what to say during an abduction, blared. "He's not my daddy! He's not my daddy!"

Moments later Chuckie Security swooped in, snatched the frantic boy and tackled the evil abductor to the ground.

"My nose!" David shouted as his face was being slammed into the sticky carpet. "It's still healing from being broken! OW!"

**The Mandalay Bay  
****7:55 p.m. **

"Easy, Sara…it hurts like hell." Wincing, Gil gripped the wall by the bathtub. He was grateful his father and Lina were nowhere to be found when he returned from his training session from hell.

"Careful," Sara warned her suffering husband as she helped him into water filled with the aroma of muscle relaxing bath crystals. "I told you not to pick on Sofia in front of Irving."

"**He** didn't do this to me…" With the gracefulness of an elephant he lowered himself into the sunken tub. "**I **did this to me…I did twenty-four more squats that he ordered just so I wouldn't look weak in front of Sofia."

Laughing at him Sara replied, "Because it's so much better to look like a fool in front of your wife?"

"Yes!" Slipping into the steaming water he explained, "I know you won't spread rumors about me around the lab. That witch is going to tell everyone I have cute legs."

"I don't have a problem with that," she teased. "No more than you would mind if everyone was told I have big breasts." When she saw him raise a brow Sara laughed, "Hey…my bra was cutting me all day. These pregnancy hormones are definitely pumping up the girls."

"I really think I should be the judge of that."

Without hesitation she tossed her top and revealed her braless chest. "Thoughts?"

"Many." Gil laughed, "And thinking is all I'm up for because I can't move a muscle."

Next Sara ditched her lounge pants and joined her husband in the water. "Remember how freaked you once were about taking a bath with me?"

"I asked Dr. Myers about that."

Sliding under the bubbles Sara sighed with delight.

"She said it was because I associated taking baths with my mother caring for me as a child and therefore had difficulty thinking of a bubble bath sexually."

"Hearing stuff like that makes me very paranoid about being a mother," she confessed. "You do too much and you're smothering your child…cough Greg cough. You do to little and you're neglecting your kid. Just about anything a mother does appears to psychologically damage them in some way. Seriously…what are the odds that our offspring won't have issues?"

"Sara…do you know anyone who doesn't have issues?"

She pondered the question for a moment then replied, "No…our friends are all screwed up in one way or another. If I had to pick the most stable of the group though…gambling problem aside, I'd put my money on Warrick."

**Orion Motel  
****Las Vegas  
****8:06 p.m. **

For the past two hours Warrick had lain on the lumpy mattress in his no-tell motel room off Industrial. Staring at the ugly popcorn ceiling he beat himself up over doing the one thing he swore he'd never do…walk out on a kid.

It didn't matter that she wasn't his kid.

It didn't matter that she hadn't kept her promises.

It didn't matter that he really wasn't her stepfather.

All that mattered was that he turned his back on a child who needed him…just like his father had done to him.

He knew Lindsay was home when he was yelling in the kitchen and that there was a good chance she had hear every word. After an hour of soul searching at the ugly no-tell motel, he finally admitted to himself that he wanted her to hear him…to hear the anger in his voice and realize how she hurt him. That's what tore him the most.

The guilt finally pushed him to turn on his cellphone.

Six messages.

Three from the lab, all trivial questions.

One from Nick, checking to see if he was doing okay, feeling badly about spilling the beans, and letting him know he could call his cell at any hour if he needed to talk.

One from Catherine, informing him she had an appointment with Dr. Myers at ten a.m. the next morning, promising to work on her shit, and telling him she loved him.

The final message devastated him. It was Lindsay, sobbing an apology, begging him to come back and pleading for one more chance…

_I'm **so **sorry. I know I said I'd listen, but then I got to school and was desperate to fit in so I copped out and acted like a sheep because I was desperate to fit in with the cool kids. I promise I won't do it again. I've really learned my lesson this time. How can I prove it? Tell me how to prove it and I will! I'm returning the purse to my grandfather and won't take any more of his money. I'll come home after school every day and do chores. Just please come back. Please! Mom's starting therapy and she's sure the doctor will fix what's wrong with us. I promise I'll pay attention and do whatever the doctor says, I know Mom will too. Please, don't leave us. Give us another chance…please…I don't want to lose another dad…especially not the best dad I ever had. Please… _

Mystery solved…she had heard what he said.

Closing his eyes he heard his mother's words. _You_ _don't need a daddy, Son. You're better off not having one, because they don't do anything but let you down and leave."_

Punching in the numbers Warrick took a deep breath and two rings later when he heard the familiar voice on the other end of the phone he said, "I don't know what to do. I mean…I **really** don't know what to do." Holding his head his voice shook as he spoke. "I'm hiding in this dump of a motel staring at the ceiling and I don't have a god damn clue what to do….I don't know what's right…I don't know what's wrong. I'm lost, man…**lost**. You know me…I never ask anyone for help, but I don't have a choice here because…I'm losing it. Her voice in the message…she was begging me…" He gulped some air. "She was bawling her eyes out because I left."

"Hey…this relationship stuff is tough," Nick empathized. "But don't worry, Buddy…we'll talk it through and get it figured out for ya. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"And don't feel bad about asking for help…you did the right thing reaching out. Look what almost happened to me…I was minutes away from dying because I couldn't admit I was messed up."

"Good to know I did something right tonight."

**La Fleur  
****8:30 p.m. **

An hour into their dinner date Greg was relieved everything was going perfectly and Tawny was having the phenomenal time he'd hoped she would. "How's your entrée?"

"I love the Dauphinoise potatoes," Tawny announced after swallowing her first bite. They were one of the menu options at the Bellagio and she was thrilled to have an opportunity to taste them. "Now I definitely want them for the wedding."

Raising his glass of sparkling cider Greg said, "Wow…this first date must being going great if you're already talking wedding plans."

"Ooh! Speaking of plans…can we talk about the music?"

Lowering his glass Greg adamantly said, "There has to be a Prince song in honor of my dad…but nothing too dirty since the Blake kids will be there."

"What about **our **song?" she asked, knowing exactly what song she wanted.

"It has to be something with significance."

"Can I toss out a possibility?"

Resting his fork, Greg took her hand. "Let's hear it."

"Remember, on our other first date…"

"Refresh my memory," he joked. "Did something significant happen?"

After forking some potatoes she brought the scoop to his mouth and fed it to him. "Now you'll be quiet for at least fifteen seconds. Okay…as I was saying…on our other first date we watched Moulin Rouge in bed..."

"Uh huh," he replied after gulping some water. "Those potatoes are great by the way. I wonder how they get them so…"

"Chuckles!"

"Sorry!"

When he put his hand over his mouth Tawny grinned. "As I was saying…when we were in bed watching Moulin Rouge, I remember lying in your arms and feeling so safe…" she paused to giggle. "Which is funny since, as a result of unprotected sex, your sperm were getting me pregnant at the time, but that's my point…there we were snuggled up watching Christian sing Come What May to Satine while we had no idea our own drama was about to happen. And even though we haven't been singing the song to each other in rough times, we've basically been doing the same thing…when you're down, I reach out to you…and when I'm down, you reach out to me."

Greg's smile brightened the dimly lit room. "And come what may…we both know we'll always have the love between us to get us through."

"Yes!" she bubbled. "So does that mean you think it's a good choice?"

"I really can't imagine a song I'd prefer more."

Gazing into Greg's sparkling eyes Tawny murmured, "When we're dancing to it at our wedding will you sing it to me in my ear? I think hearing you sing that song to me would make me melt."

"Then, I'll be sure to learn the words before the wedding." Fighting the urge to scream he asked, "Would you excuse me for a minute while I um…use the…"

"Sure." Releasing his hand she lifted her fork and giggled, "The babies are hungry so they're grateful I'm shutting up to eat. I bet they like the potatoes too."

After a quick kiss to her cheek Greg raced through the dining room and out the front door of the restaurant. Once outside he released the scream trapped in his lungs and jubilated. "Yes! Yes! Yes! I picked the **perfect** song! She really is going to melt! Yes! Way to go Greggo! It really will be the perfect proposal!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Next chapter: **It's a new day full of new experiences, some flashbacks, a bit more knowledge for a certain boy, and a little foreshadowing…

**Thanks for reading,**

**Maggs**


	23. Chapter 23

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 23**

**September 2, 2005  
****The Cliffs Bed and Breakfast  
****Santa Barbara, CA  
****6:15 a.m. **

When the alarm clock sounded, Greg rolled onto his back still asleep. "Dauphinoise potatoes…kiss me…come what may."

Rushing from the bathroom, Tawny silenced the alarm. "Sunrise in forty-five, Baby!"

Because they wanted to hear the waves crashing and smell the ocean breeze while they made love the previous night, they had opened every window in the place. Now, eight hours later, the room was chilly and Tawny shivered as she snuggled up to Greg's naked body. "Morning, Chuckles," she whispered in his ear, trying to rouse him.

"Never knew it could feel like this," he mumbled while continuing to doze.

It had been a while since Tawny caught him in this hazy stage of sleep where she was able to plant thoughts in his head. "Never felt like what?" she prompted.

His eyes clamped shut, Greg half sang, half moaned, "Like I've never seen the sky before."

"Oh my gosh!" She bolted to sitting. "He's singing our song."

"I want to vanish…inside your…Dauphinoise potatoes are really creamy."

"I don't remember Christian singing the potato part, Honey." Chuckling, she straddled his hips, shook him gently and then pecked his lips. "Rise and shine, Greg. We have to get down to the beach to watch the sun come up."

"Mmm…" His heavy lids finally lifted. "Morning…"

Again she snatched a kiss. "No nightmares last night."

"Are you kidding?" Slowly he encircled her waist with his arms. "Unpleasant dreams were impossible after the perfect night we had…"

_After slipping the second red spaghetti strap off Tawny's shoulder Greg swooped in for a kiss. _

_"Can we open all the windows so we can hear the waves below?" _

_Without saying a word he raced to fling open all six. "Better?" When Greg turned, he saw Tawny lying on top of the billowy bed wearing only a grin. "Oh yeah…that's better." With the white curtains snapping in the breeze, he crossed the moonlit room to join the beautiful woman beckoning him. Tossing his jacket on a chair he joked, "Suddenly I feel quite overdressed." _

_"I'll help you with that." Kneeling on the bed she feverishly worked to free him from his black button down while he took care of the rest._

_"You look amazing in the moonlight," Greg whispered while blanketing her warm body with his. Running his fingers through her golden tresses he soulfully gazed into her eyes. "I'm having the most incredible time tonight." _

_"Me too."__ Tawny held him tight, savoring the warmth building between them. "Mmm…this place is exactly like the one in the fantasy. It's perfect." _

_"You're perfect." Burying his face in her neck he breathed a kiss. "This has been the best day of my life." Lifting his head Greg unfurled a smile. "But I know there are plenty of great days ahead too." _

_"And fantastic nights."__ After a series of hungry kisses Tawny gripped Greg's shoulders urging him, "Make love to me..." _

"Uh oh…" Greg smacked his forehead with his palm.

"What?" With a puzzled look on her face, Tawny watched him slip out of bed. "Where are you going?"

Grabbing his jacket from the chair, Greg reached into the pocket and pulled out the condoms his father had given him as a joke. "Look what I forgot to use on our first date."

"See! It's our fate!" Tawny giggled while crashing back against the sheets. "I bet we knew each other in previous lives and every time we met, we made love, got pregnant and then fell madly in love."

"No doubt." From their suitcase Greg grabbed sweaters and jeans for both of them. "We need to head downstairs soon so, we better get dressed." Snickering, he tossed their clothes on the end of the bed then pinned her down on the mattress. "But first…if you're in the mood…I was wondering if you felt like making another one of my dreams come true." Showering her with kisses Greg confessed, "I've always wanted to make some pre-dawn quickie love while on vacation with the woman of my dreams."

Still blissed from him spoiling her all night Tawny purred, "Go for it, Baby."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****6:32 a.m. **

Gil and Ron arrived in the dining room of the suite at the same time and wearing the same blissful expression.

"Morning, Son." Ron took a seat while the hotel waiter set platters of breakfast food on the table. "I hope you're hungry, because I catered a feast this morning."

"As a matter of fact…I'm starving." Pulling out a chair he immediately grabbed a banana and peeled it.

"Why do you have such an appetite this morning?" Ron asked through a laugh.

"Why do you?"

The two men exchanged curious looks and then Ron teased, "You like it best in the morning too, huh?"

"I thought you were waiting until your wedding night?" Gil asked, realizing he sounded like a disapproving father.

Snatching a piece of whole grain toast Ron sighed, "It's not my fault that she found me irresistible. Surely Sara must act the same way around you."

"It's the Grissom man's curse," Gil quipped while selecting an egg-substitute omelet from the silver platter on the table. "What can I say? She can't keep her hands off me, Dad." When they shared a laugh he continued joking, "Yeah…you and I are just a couple of studs chowing down while our women recover from the workout we gave them this morning."

"Is that butter substitute you're slathering on your low-fat, low-cal cranberry muffin, you big tough stud?" Sara asked from her stealthy position behind her braggart of a husband.

Gil glared at his father. "You saw her behind me and goaded me into saying that, didn't you?"

"Yep."

"The truth is…" Smirking, Sara took a seat next and said to her father-in-law. "…he was so sore from getting his ass kicked by his personal trainer, all he could do was lie there while I did all the work."

"Here you go, Honey." Gil handed over his perfectly prepped muffin. "May I pour you some juice?"

"Morning," Lina greeted her soon to be official family.

The two observant CSIs in the room simultaneously saw the diamond ring glittering on her finger and Sara said, "Looks like congratulations are in order." Standing she rounded the table to hug her future mother-in-law. "I'm so happy for you."

Gil extended his hand across the table. "Congratulations, Dad. You're one lucky guy."

"Thank you." After the handshake, Ron stood to accept Sara's hug. "My son told me your social calendar was clear for this evening and I have everything arranged for five-thirty in the hotel chapel. After the ceremony…" He took Lina's hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll be flying on my jet to San Francisco to celebrate. The jet will bring you back in time for Gil to catch some sleep before his big day at the body farm with Sean tomorrow, but Lina and I will be staying on for a short honeymoon."

**Crime Lab – Warrick's Office  
****6:45 a.m. **

After an all-nighter processing the death of a newly divorced man celebrating the end of his marriage with friends, Warrick crashed in his chair from exhaustion.

"Rough night?" Brass inquired from the doorway.

"Yeah." His answer had nothing to do with the case.

"Is Cath okay?" Brass stepped inside the office "I saw on the board that she called in."

"Uh…yeah…" Leaning back in his chair he lied, "…she needed some personal time…for Lindsay…nothing bad…school stuff."

Brass held up his hand. "You don't need to give me the details. I just glad it's not serious. We've had enough drama around here lately with Stokes and Sanders." Taking a seat he said, "So, you're off until Sunday night. Are you excited about the new house?"

"Oh yeah…it's gonna be great," he fronted while wondering if it would happen at all. "A little stressful though…you know…living with all those boxes around the house for weeks." Boxes with his name on them that might not be moved into the new house.

"I bet, especially since you just moved in there not too long ago."

Warrick nodded, realizing the situation hadn't only failed but failed rapidly.

**The Beach  
****6:52 a.m. **

After his princess graciously granted his wish for a pre-dawn quickie, which, courtesy of raging pregnancy hormones, turned into a 'semi-longie', Greg raced to get dressed, grab a blanket and get Tawny to the beach in time to watch the sunrise.

"Made it!" she jubilated while plopping down on the sand. "And can I just say you look damn hot in a sweater, jeans and bare feet, Chuckles. Unbelievable! I want you all over again," she teased while tackling him against the blanket.

"I haven't had the opportunity to wear a sweater because we've only known each other during the heat of summer." Laughing as she smooched him Greg said, "…speaking of heat…it's way too soon for me to produce some again. I'm afraid the sun will be the only thing rising on the beach for at least another hour and by then we won't be alone."

"That's okay." Snuggling up she chuckled, "Sara told me that sex on the beach was highly overrated."

"Yeah…" He playfully pinched her. "…I remember reading that in your Internet girl-chat transcript…among other shocking revelations." Rolling his eyes he said, "Like how you think only Slick Nick has the right stuff for 'The Peg', not me."

"You're **still** stuck on that!" For the hundredth time, she cursed herself for saving that chat on Word.

"Apparently I am," he confessed while laughing at himself. "I believe Dr. Myers would deem that a subconscious blurt."

"Sweetie, I was only repeating what I heard **other women** say, it's not like **I **would know if he was good or not. **I** was never comparing you to him. But if you insist I do, then I'll say this…from what I've observed about him, and what I do know about you…there are **many **things you do or could do better than Slick…so many it would be sunset again if I took the time to list them."

"But the infamous 'Peg' wouldn't be on the list."

"Look, a shark!" she pointed to the water and laughed at her way too obvious attempt at changing the subject.

"That's kelp, and you're terrible at diversionary tactics." Spooning her as they watched the water Greg confessed, "Getting back to your original comment…I'll have to take Sara's word for it because even though I grew up surrounded by beaches…I've never had the pleasure…or the displeasure as the case may be, of sex on the beach. I've never even made out on the beach."

"I've never built a sandcastle by the ocean."

"Now** that** I've done plenty of times….because you don't need a girl for that."

In a whimsical voice she taunted, "If you help me build a sandcastle, I'll make out with you."

"Deal!" Eager for both experiences, he jumped to his feet. Then he remembered a very important detail…he didn't pack buckets or shovels. "I don't have supplies."

"So typical of you," she teased. "Greg Sanders…you're a fantastic boyfriend but a terrible Boy Scout."

He shrugged. "I went to one meeting and dropped out." Suddenly his mind fired up. "I'll be right back to build your castle, Princess." Running towards the stairs leading to the B&B Greg shouted, "And by the way…Boy Scouts have to be prepared because they lack creativity. That's why I couldn't run with the pack…they couldn't handle a free thinking genius!"

**The Blakes  
****7:33 a.m. **

Unlike all the previous mornings of his life, Sean was chomping at the bit to go to school and interact with other students. Not because he had turned into a social butterfly overnight, but to prove that his success the previous day wasn't a fluke.

When Sean stepped out of his bedroom he was stunned to see his brother carrying bedding towards the laundry room. "You're doing chores?" he asked in a tone that matched his shock.

"Just **my sheets**, Dude." Realizing his brother had yet to wake and feel compelled to do laundry, Ryan leaned in whispering, "Here's a hint…if you can't figure out why I've recently taken up early morning sheet washing, you'll have to ask Uncle Nick."

"Oh no…what now!" His hands raced to his head. "Seriously…how much more don't I know! There can't be much more…is there?"

"Come on, Sean…my **exasperation** is kicking in." Ryan shook his head at his clueless brother. "They definitely covered this in the movie they show to guys in Health class. Did you go with the wrong group and watch the girl version and learn about periods instead?"

"I was at the state Geography Bee the day they showed the movie," he said with a nervous twitter in his voice.

"That explains a lot. Okay, do my laundry for me and I'll tell you." He handed over the sheets and when Sean took them he said, "You've admitted that little Sean has started to get a mind of his own…"

"But I haven't…"

"I know." Ryan held up his hand while smirking. "You haven't **yet**."

"I'm not going to, because I have self-control."

"Ten bucks says you will by Christmas."

Outraged, Sean blasted his brother, "How can you mention Christmasone of the holiest days of the Christian year, and…and…" He pointed to his hand. "…**that, **in the same conceptual sentence? I'm rather certain that's sacrilege but, I'll have to look it up to be sure."

"I didn't say you would do it **on **Christmas, I said **by** Christmas and Dude, a guy as smart as you really shouldn't get the meaning of different pronouns messed up."

"They're **prepositions **and…

"Hey! Are you accepting the bet or not!"

"Yes!" he heatedly informed his perverted brother. "I'll take the ten dollars I get from you, donate it to our church and pray for your depraved soul."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Ryan started down the hall.

"Get back here!" Sean loudly whispered. "You didn't answer the original question."

"Oh, right." Ryan snickered. "You know what you don't want to do with your hand? Sometimes, when you have a real good dream…it happens all by itself while you're sleeping. The stuff gets on the sheets and I really don't want Mom touching that so…"

"Ah! My hands!" Sean dropped his brother's soiled bedding and rushed to the bathroom to scrub away the filth.

"Morning, Ryan," Wendy perkily greeted her laughing son upon appearing in the hallway. "I thought I heard your brother yelling just now. Hey…what's so funny?" Then she saw the bedding on the floor. "Are those yours?" She tried not to cringe and wish she only had sweet little girls.

In honor of his brother, Ryan responded factually, "Sean left them there before rushing into the bathroom with plans to do something with his hands."

"That's not true!" Sean came flying out of the bath defending his honor. "They're **his **sheets covered in **his** stuff!"

Just then McKenna came flying down the hall and grabbed the bedding. "Let's put this over the dining room table to make a castle! I'll be the princess!"

**The Beach  
****7:42 a.m. **

When Greg returned with two more ice buckets filled with sea water he asked in his best British accent, "What do you think of your castle, milady?"

"It's very **creative**." Tawny basked in happiness while watching him approach. "We're definitely going to have a great time at the beach with our kids."

"I was just thinking that when I saw you using the flowers and dolphin-shaped soap I brought down as landscaping and statues on the castle grounds." He poured the buckets of water in the moat and took a seat next to Tawny.

"We make a great team," she replied while snapping a picture of their masterpiece for her scrapbook. "Thanks for remembering to bring down my camera too. I can't wait to start filling the pages of our first album."

"Oh shoot!" Standing up he reached into his pocket. "I forgot something." His own words sent him into a fit of laughter.

"What?"

"You'll see why that was funny in a minute."

With a curious gaze she watched him grab something from the shore's edge, but couldn't see what he was doing. When he finally returned, Tawny loved the silly grin on his face. "What!"

"Every castle needs a flag." From behind his back he produced a condom still in its wrapper impaled on a stick. "This is the flag of The Kingdom of Oops."

"HA!" Now she understood why he laughed so hard when he said he **forgot** that particular prop. "It's perfect!"

"One more thing." Kneeling beside her he removed a piece of paper from his pocket. "They don't look exactly like us, but…it's close enough." He showed her the promotional magazine photo that he had ripped out of a 'Welcome to Santa Barbara' visitor's guide. It was a happy family of four playing on the beach. Smiling, he placed it inside the castle. "And they lived happily ever after."

"Oh…oh…" Tawny fanned her hand in front of her welling eyes. "Can you take the picture because I'm all blurry now?"

"I have a better idea." When he saw an elderly couple strolling the beach he politely waved. "Excuse me…would you mind taking a picture of us? It's our first time together at the beach."

The couple, happy to indulge the young lovers, immediately strolled over. "Certainly, young man." The woman smiled and took the camera. "Do you want your castle in it?"

"Definitely…if you could take a few different ones, that would be great. We're going to need an engagement photo very soon."

Tawny and Greg snuggled and posed just like they had done for Wendy on her front lawn.

"Those look lovely," the woman said while peeking at the digital display.

The old man, who had remained silent until now, pointed and asked, "Is that **a condom** you have there as a flag?"

"Uh…" Greg glanced over at Tawny and then back at the man, "The unused condom is an inside joke for us. I hope it didn't offend you." He knew from the reaction on their faces that they had instantly figured out the symbolism.

The senior couple clasped hands and the woman said, "We had to get married because of an accident too." Returning the camera she smiled. "They said we'd never make it but we just celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary."

"Yeah." The old man belly laughed. "Getting Glenda knocked up was the best damn mistake I ever made. My brother married a woman and got her pregnant two years after their wedding. She turned out to be a real witch…they divorced and she took him to the cleaners. Here I am fifty years later and happily married. It pisses him off every time he sees me and I love rubbing it in his face because he's such a jackass…pardon my French, young lady."

"Come on, Honey…let's let the kids get back to their fun. They're young and in love and don't need to hear about your idiot brother." Smiling, the woman tugged her husband toward the surf. "Take care and good luck."

"Thanks!" they both replied while looking at each other.

Bursting at the seams Tawny said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

With horny school boy verve he replied, "That it's definitely time to make out?"

"No!" Pushing him back on the blanket she said, "That everything happens for a reason, and that couple was here while we were building a fairytale castle as **a sign** that everything is going to work out for us just like it worked out for them. That we're really going to get our happily ever after!"

"That's a good thought too…I mean it's an even better thought than my make out one." Knowing she wasn't buying it Greg lay back on the blanket with open arms. "Sorry, I can't focus on future dreams until I fulfill all the ones that haven't come true over the last thirty years. Make out with me at the beach! Pity me if you have to!"

"You mean like this?" She canvassed his body and planted a juicy one on his lips.

"Yes, definitely…just like that," he confirmed upon coming up for air. "After fulfilling this dream we can move onto what I've always wanted to do in a cove. There's a very nice cove just a little ways down the beach…I did my research when I picked this place."

"Okay, Chuckles," Tawny giggled as she ran her hand under his sweater. "Last night was all about making me feel special…today will be all about me spoiling you." Before she could kiss him, Greg spoke.

"That's not fair…I get a whole day but, you only get one night?"

"Are you kidding?" Nibbling on his ear she teased, "You **only **get one day, and then you have to spoil me for the rest of your life. Just kidding…but not really." When she went to kiss him he started rambling again.

"Actually, that seems fair since getting something from you once is exactly how I ended up getting you to stay with me for the rest of your life."

"Are we talking or making out, Chuckles?" she teased. "Hey, did you ever consider that maybe the reason girls never kissed you at the beach was that you never stopped talking long enough for them to make their move?"

"And I talk even more when I'm nervous…and I was always nervous around girls..."

"Oh yeah…I remember that well from the early days."

"Hmm…" After pondering her comments Greg said, "Maybe there was nothing wrong with me all these years after all…it was just combination of my low self-esteem and me not giving girls the opportunity."

"Give the boy a prize! I just saved you a session with Dr. Myers," Tawny cheered. "Seriously…between the nervous chatter and waiting around for Becca, you made yourself completely unavailable. Girls all over California were probably home whining." Clutching her heart she spoke in her best 'woe is me' princess voice, "If only Greg Sanders would notice me instead of that Becca girl who is too stupid to see how fantastic he is…not that she's good enough for him anyway…oh, if only that adorable Sanders boy would stop talking long enough for me to kiss him I would smooch him all night long, because he's so smart, sexy and funny…I'm totally in love with Greggy but he doesn't know I'm alive…oh what I would give for just one taste of those delicious lips!"

Grinning from ear to ear he said, "This pep talk is part of my day of spoiling isn't it?"

"You know it," she answered by whispering seductively. "And by the end of the night, Baby…I predict I'll be **begging **you to drive the peg home and thinking no one has ever done it as well as you."

**Drew's**** Hotel Room  
****8:07 a.m. **

Lying in bed reading his fourth book, Back from Betrayal, Andy pondered the latest paragraph… _How well partners work through their issues and survive betrayal depends on their commitment to each other and the relationship, their pain tolerance levels, the desire to understand their own and each other's needs, and the amount of emotional and professional support available to them._

Support was plentiful. He knew his family was behind them one hundred percent and he had arranged for professional therapy to begin the next week.

In other good news, their pain tolerance levels were both quite high. They never would have made it so far in their careers if they were thin-skinned. And even after all the pain they'd given each other, they were still standing and willing to try, which he figured was an excellent sign.

The desire to understand their own and each other's needs was what caused their problems in the first place and Drew understood that would take some professional guidance. In one of the other books his mother gave him he learned that although he was the one to have the affair, Melissa's denial of affection and suggestion he find someone else was betrayal in a different form. They both had needs that were ignored and the lack of communication between them had led to disastrous results. Those issues would need to be delved into with raw honesty.

But there was good news. Drew knew the last factor, commitment to each other and the relationship was their strongest asset at the moment. They were both desperate to keep things together for the kids, to not fail in front of their families…and they were desperate to believe that with some work, they could recapture what they once had as a couple and make it better than ever. In speaking with Melissa the previous night, Drew learned that his mother had his wife reading the same six books and the mutual work had already begun...

"_That's Mama for you," Drew chuckled into the phone, stunned that he could be laughing with his wife in the midst of a crisis. "She didn't tell me you'd be reading them too." _

_"Did she give you a specific reading order too?" _

_"Yes, ma'am."__ He glanced at the pile on the bed. "Putting the book about 'the devastating impacts divorce can have on kids' first on the list proves my mother hasn't lost her ability to present a strong opening argument. That book scared me to death." _

_"I lived that book as a child," she replied in a saddened tone. "We need to make this work, Drew." _

_"I think the fact we both agree on that point increases the odds of our success significantly." _

_"Me too.__ It's just…it still hurts so badly. I keep seeing Tawny and thinking that's what you want and I'm never going to be twenty-two and drop-dead gorgeous again. I keep thinking that now that you've had a taste of the wild life again…the life we used to live together that I'm not up for anymore…the parties, the jet-setting, the sex against every wall in the hotel suite while downing bottles of Cristal…I'm scared you'll have another craving." _

_Hearing the pain in her voice Drew replied, "I was partying hard and I know how it looked on the outside but…it wasn't those things I was missing, Lissa. What I was missing was a woman who wanted to be with me…a woman who was grateful for the attention I was givin' her and wanted to give the same amount back to me." _

_"Still…you picked a bombshell to get what you were missing." _

_"Absolutely," he answered candidly. "Because when a wife orders her husband to go find someone else because she won't touch him, he's gonna be damn sure he finds a woman who would make her feel jealous as hell. I was pissed, Lissa. Hell, yeah I wanted someone I knew would make you insane with envy. Not that I ever intended you to find out about her or see her, but…in my head, it worked great."_

_"Yeah…we really do need some professional help, don't we?" _

_"I've got it lined up and she comes highly recommended."_

_"Drew…I'm still real scared but…I'm not terrified anymore." _

**Irving's Apartment**

**8:22 a.m. **

When Irving woke he panicked because he couldn't move his arms. Then he realized he was fully clothed and tied to the headboard. "Oh, yeah…now I remember…"

_"See…" Irving taunted his date as they approached his door. "I may be a muscle head but I'm not controlling." _

_"Oh, really."_

_"What?"_

_If you're not controlling, then why are we back at your place instead of mine?" she quizzed while trying not to laugh. "And why is up to you to decide when we should share our first kiss?" _

_"I was just being flirtatious when I said that the other day," he playfully informed her. "You could have kissed me any time you wanted to and I wouldn't have stopped you. As a matter of fact, I would have been thrilled. But you chose to wait when I said I would kiss you at some point. Your wait was self-induced, and for a CSI you really should have better listening skills, don't you think?" _

_She answered the question by taking the kiss she had been longing for since their hike earlier that week. _

"Sof…" he called out to the fully clothed lump sleeping in the bed next to him. "You're late for work." When she didn't budge he raised his voice. "Sof! It's after eight o'clock and you're late for work!"

"What!" She sat up brushing long blonde locks from her face.

"You were supposed to be at work over an hour ago."

"Damn!" She flew out of bed and scrambled for her purse and shoes. "I have to testify in court this morning!"

"Hey! How about untying me before you go? I think I proved that I'm not a control freak."

Breaking into a smile she strutted over to the bed. "I forgot I did that when you dared me. Sorry…it was only supposed to be for a few minutes."

"Obviously we dozed during the movie."

"We were beat after working all day and then playing tennis for hours."

Once both wrists were free Irving stood up smiling. "That's a pretty weird fetish you have Ms. Curtis…tying up fully clothed men and making them watch a PG-13 chick flick. In this town usually the guy is naked and so is everyone in the movie he's watching."

"Sorry…" Smiling with him she explained, "It was a joke…I mean…I tied you up because you said you'd prove you didn't have control issues by letting me pick the movie and tie you up but…having control over you in bed isn't a joke to me. I don't want to start something and find out one night down the road that we're not compatible because you always have to call the shots." After kissing him goodbye she admitted, "It's not you, it's me. I've been down that road before with a guy I really liked, and it sucked." As she walked out of the bedroom, her thoughts turned to the night of the blow up…

_"Starting the party without me?" Nick said through a smile as he returned to the room from paying the angry cabbie. _

_Stripped down to her black satin undergarments, Sofia patted the mattress. "I'm in law enforcement so I don't usually mingle with bad boys who stiff cab drivers but, I'll make an exception today if you promise to do exactly as I say." _

_"I'll try my best," he remarked while shucking his blue sweater and sliding onto the bed next to her. "Have I let you down yet, Sweetheart?" _

_"Not once," she confirmed while outlining the curve of his sexy smile. "What about me? Have I let you down yet?" _

_Grabbing her hand he kissed the tips of her fingers. "The answer must be no or I wouldn't be here." _

_"Yeah…if you keep ending up in my bed every day I'm going to have to start charging you rent," she teased._

_"What? What are you talking about?" he chuckled. "When was the last time I slept here?"_

_"Yesterday."_

_"Okay…but before that?" he playfully retorted. _

_"The day before yesterday."_

_Laughing he rolled onto his back. "Oh shit. How did I let that happen?" _

_"What?" Propping up on her elbow Sofia needled, "Three days in a row in the same woman's bed…is that some kind of record for you, Stokes?" _

_"It is actually." _

_"Do you think there's some significance?" she stared him down waiting for an answer._

_"I'm sure I don't know." Reaching up he brushed an errant strand of hair from her cheek. "I'll just blame you…for making me feel too comfortable here." _

_"Funny you should say that…because I've got something special planned for you tonight." Grinning, she revealed the shiny pair of silver handcuffs she was hiding under a pillow. "It's my turn to pick a game." _

_"What are those for?" Nick asked in a surprised tone._

_She let her answer glide off her tongue while reaching for his hand. "Your wrists of course." _

_Pulling his hand away he cheerily informed her, "No, thanks…I do my best work unrestrained." _

_"That's the thing…you** always** do the brunt of the work. I want a turn…it's only fair." Tossing her long blonde hair off her shoulder she moved to straddle him. "So just lay back and do what I say, Bad Boy." When he jerked away Sofia blurted, "What the hell?"_

_"This…you know what…" Bolting off the bed he glanced around to locate his sweater. "I need to go." _

_"Now?" Stunned and hurt by his sudden change of heart, she gaped at him while he pulled on his sweater. "You come to my place, toss your shirt, climb into bed with me and** then** you tell me you need to go? What the hell, Stokes! Oh…I get it. You wanted to play the same old game and because I don't, you're going to take your toys and run from the sandbox." _

_"What?" He straightened out his sweater and in a tequila haze, steadied himself by holding onto her dresser. "No, that's no…I'm just suddenly… not in the mood." _

_Dangling the cuffs she chided, "You would love playing cop, snapping these around my wrists and telling me to spread 'em, but not the other way around. Here…prove me wrong." She opened one lock. "Come on…show me you believe in equal rights and aren't just another closed-minded boy from the ranch…" Leaving the bed she strutted tipsily towards him. "I promise you'll enjoy it."_

_Even though his reflexes were slowed from the alcohol flowing through his veins, Nick managed to move his hand just in time to escape the steel aimed at his wrist. "I said I'm not in the mood, so back the hell off!" _

_"Excuse me!" Outraged, she thrust her index finger toward her bedroom door. "Suddenly I'm not in the mood for you, so get the hell out of my bedroom!" _

_"Exactly what I was planning on doing," he informed her while hustling out of the room._

_Pissed off and piss drunk she shouted while chasing him out, "And don't think you're ever coming here **ever** again you chauvinistic…control-freak…asshole! And another thing…" _

_"Not a problem!" After walking through the front door, he slammed it behind him. _

_Whipping open the door she marched into the hall in her risqué underwear. "Yo! Caveman! Nice controlling move…slamming the door in my face while I'm still talking!" _

_"What! You kicked me out!" At the end of the hall he tossed up his hands and laughed, "But hey…say whatever the hell you'd like. It's a free country... and because it is, I don't have to stand around and listen to you scream at me because I wasn't in the mood for sex." _

_"You expect me to believe that you weren't in the mood for sex when you tossed your clothes and climbed into my bed? HA!" Stuffing her hands on her underwear clad hips she yelled, "What you weren't in the mood for was a woman being in charge of the action. We both know that if I had handed you the cuffs to put on me, you'd be in there screwing my brains out!" Incensed she stomped toward him. "You have a lot of god damn nerve not indulging me after everything I've done for you…I slept with another woman for you and you can't let me have my way** one** time! I can't believe the way you're acting over something as trivial as cuffs when we've…" _

_"Oh! Oh!" Backing up against the wall he yelled, "You did it **for** **me**? I don't recall asking you to do anything **for me **or against your will. The opportunity spontaneously presented itself, I asked you if you were game, and you said **yes!** Specifically,you said you were up for trying something new **and **that you've always been curious about being with a woman See, that's the critical difference here. I **asked **you in advance. I didn't have a woman hiding in my bed and wait until you crawled under the covers to yell 'Surprise! You're doin' a chick tonight whether you're up for it or not!' When you pulled those cuffs on me out of the blue, I politely declined and you **ignored me**! So who really is the control freak here, **huh!** I don't think it's me! I think it's the person not taking **no** for an answer!" Glaring at her he snapped, "And how dare you say I **forced you** to do something **for me**!"_

_"Would you stop popping blood vessels for a second and **listen** to me! That's not what I meant. You didn't coerce me to anything." Seething, she moved closer, putting herself between him and the stairs. "I meant that I did that and other things **for you** because I wanted to do something fun for you…something I knew you'd enjoy and I didn't mind experimenting with you for that reason. But normally when two people are in a relationship they **take turns** doing things for each other that..." _

_"Well there's your mistake…" Trapped in the corner of the hallway, Nick defensively replied, "…we're not in a relationship. Unless getting tanked before ripping each other's clothes off is your definition of a relationship." _

_"All we drank yesterday was coffee," she coolly replied. "And I recall you being stone cold sober when you showed up on my doorstep and asked if you could stay." _

_After an awkward pause Nick snapped, "Look…you're not my girlfriend, Sofia. The three days in a row was…I don't know what that was…but after what just..." Without warning, his voice turned icy. "I really thought you understood that you're just someone I screw for..." The smack of her slap knocked him off balance. "May I leave now, Ms. Curtis?" he asked in a submissive tone while rubbing his cheek. "I'm asking for permission, because I wouldn't want you to think I'm too controlling." _

_"By all means…**go!**" Fuming, she stepped aside. _

_"I thought that would get you to back off," he muttered while rushing by._

_As he hurried down the stairs she yelled, "It's a busy bus route out front, Stokes…**please** forget to look both ways before you cross the street." _

**University Trauma Center  
****8:31 a.m. **

"I'm glad you're back, Hal," Nick informed his burly male nurse. "That night nurse Amber was cute as hell but…damn, she was rough, not to mention stealthy. I woke up from a sound sleep to find her practically on top of me. I was seriously missing you by sunrise."

Chuckling, Hal lifted his patient's Aggie t-shirt to check his dressing. "Does this new found closeness mean you'll be okay with me setting you up for a shower? Because I gotta tell ya, Buddy…you're ripe."

"Living half my life in locker rooms, I've showered next to plenty of guys. I don't have a problem with that." Sitting up slowly he explained, "It was the embracing me while I pee thing that freaked me out, because that was new. Don't take it personally, he joked. "I don't even let Carrie do that."

"Where is your fiancée this morning?" Hal inquired while walking to the bathroom to warm the shower.

"She had some business to take care of and I told her I'd be fine here on my own. I wanted her to get a good night's sleep and not wake up with a kink in her neck."

"You okay?" Hal asked after exiting the bathroom and seeing his patient gripping the end of the bed and wincing.

"Yeah…I'm just real sore 'cause I didn't take my pain meds since early last night."

"Why not?"

Laughing he replied, "I didn't want to be knocked out with Nurse Nasty lurking in the shadows."

"You ready for something now?"

After breathing through the pain he nodded. "Make it a double."

**Dr. Myers Office  
****8:59 a.m. **

Sitting in the waiting room, Catherine stared at Lindsay who had her iPod blasting in her ears, while watching fish dart around a beautiful aquarium.

Catherine knew watching fish was supposed to make people relax, but she saw nothing but tension in her daughter's body.

When the door to the doctor's office opened, Lindsay gripped the arms of her chair. The thought of seeing a psychiatrist terrified her, but upon seeing the friendly looking older woman wearing an non-intimidating pale green suit with a pretty rhinestone broach, her nerves eased ever so slightly.

"Catherine…Lindsay…I'm Dr. Sylvia Myers." She extended her hand and a smile. "It's very nice to meet you."

Catherine crossed the room and returned the greeting. "I've heard only great things about you from my dysfunctional friends. I only hope you can do for my daughter and me what you seem to be doing for them."

"I can't do it alone," Dr. Myers remarked, while moving to the fish tank to greet the skittish daughter. "You have to work for it. Which fish is your favorite?" the doctor sweetly inquired.

"Is that some kind of psycho test? I tell you I like the big black one and I'm hours away from offing myself?" Lindsay pointed to the tank and spoke in her sweetest voice. "I like the pretty red and yellow one with all the frills that looks like it doesn't have a care in the world."

The doctor nodded. "That's a Samoan Fighting Fish and it looks happy because it just devoured two smaller fish. The black fish is a big sweet thing." She winked. "Looks can be deceiving and fish, like people, should never be judged by their appearance." Smiling she returned to her door. "Let's get started shall we…"

**Crime Lab  
****9:06 a.m. **

"Sorry!" Sofia shouted as she rushed into Brass's office and over to the table where Jim and Grissom were reviewing the case. "I'm very sorry, the alarm didn't go off. I know we're due in court at ten and I know you like to go over everything first." Breathing hard she took a seat. "I'm here…I'm ready."

"You're over two hours late for work," Grissom heatedly remarked. "And you didn't call until eight-thirty. Nick would write you up for that and so would I. It's one thing to be late, but to not call and not have your phone or pager on…especially when we're due in court."

Brass held his sarcasm in check and took the high road. "Gil…I think her record shows that this is very out of character for her and, in the absence of her regular supervisor, I'll handle things with Ms. Curtis one on one, thanks."

"Thank you, Jim." Sofia shot daggers at Grissom. "Maybe we should check the records and see how many times Sara had infractions that went undocumented while under your supervision, Gil. I can think of a huge one right off the bat."

Not amused by the direction of the conversation Grissom countered, "As the quality control officer I can think of something you shouldn't have been doing with a member of the lab. Supervisors can't supervise relatives, the second I married Sara, she moved off my shift. I didn't break any rules."

"Neither did I."

"Your interaction with a certain someone could have made people wonder if you were biased when reviewing his cases."

Rolling her eyes she snipped, "And a smart guy like you should know better than to launch stones when he lives in a glass house."

Brass shouted, "Ding! Ding! Round over and it's a draw. You were** both** unethical because you were boinking co-workers when you as Boinkers were in the position of critiquing your Boinkees workperformances. But since it's ancient history and no longer has relevance, can we please move along, children?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Poor Sean…he was the state geography bee when the rest of the boys saw 'the movie' and if anyone needed to be there for it…it was him. LOL

Greg and Tawny's fun continues and Tawny is curing her man of all the doubts that plagued him over the years…her work isn't quite done. ;-)

A glimpse at the old 'pre-Mike Rodgers wake up call' and 'pre-Carrie' Nick. When he couldn't cope with Sofia's insistence on cuffs, the possibility that he was indeed forging a relationship with someone who might figure out he has issues, and couldn't escape the corner she had him in (literally and emotionally) he went with, 'Hey! I'll be an outrageous asshole and make her hate my guts so I can get the hell out of this situation ASAP'. He's come a long way since then. And Sofia really could have used Nick's lecture to the Blake Boys…always ask first before springing something new. J Now we know Uncle Nicky has always practiced what he's preached. (Note: The 1st part of that flashback, up until Nick walks out of the apartment, was shown before in FS 88 but, it was from Nick's perspective, now it's Sofia's. Everything outside of her apartment is new.)

Gil…so busted by his wife. The problem is, will his DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) prevent him from having a wonderful time in San Fran. ;-)

Dr. Myers has her work cut out for her with those two new patients.

**Next Chapter: **Carrie shows up at the hospital with something to share with Nick…Dr. Myers gets to know her new patients…Sean gets a shock at Butterfield…Greg's day just keeps getting better…Gil and Sara work a scene together…Ron finds a way to pass the time until the wedding ceremony…**Posting:** Wednesday morning (US MST)

Carrie shows up at the hospital with something to share with Nick…Dr. Myers gets to know her new patients…Sean gets a shock at Butterfield…Greg's day just keeps getting better…Gil and Sara work a scene together…Ron finds a way to pass the time until the wedding ceremony… Wednesday morning (US MST) 

Thanks Rojaji for letting me know you enjoyed the last chapter.

**Thanks everyone for reading,  
Maggs**


	24. Chapter 24

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 24**

**September 2, 2005  
****University Trauma Center  
****9:03 a.m. **

"Finally!" Nick exclaimed when he saw Carrie step into his room and shut the door behind her. "I was getting worried."

"Sorry." Placing her messenger bag by his feet, she climbed into bed with him. "I decided to take a kickboxing class this morning and I needed to go home and clean up before coming here."

"I cleaned up too," he boasted. "Brushed my teeth and everything."

"Is that a hint?"

"Yes, ma'am." His palm caressed her cheek. "I'm used to waking up with you in my arms…I missed you this morning."

"I missed you too." Staring into his contented eyes she granted him the kiss. "Mmm…that was nice."

"So what made you take a kickboxing class this morning?" he asked after smacking his satisfied lips.

"Before I met you I took five kickboxing classes a week." Resting her head on his shoulder she sighed, "It helped me release tension built up on the job. Nicky…how are you feeling this morning? Are you feeling good?"

"Great now that my meds have kicked in and you're here." He snuggled her closer. "And now that you've kissed me."

"Really?"

"What's going on?" He gently turned her head to study her eyes. "You went kickboxing but I can still feel tension in your body."

The knowledge of what she had to tell him was making her gut churn, so she didn't beat around the bush. "Last night your mother told me you were upset that you got sidelined with an injury because you planned on using your time off to pursue Shelly."

His smile evaporating Nick grumbled, "And I can't take more time off once I'm better because I've missed so much already. I'll have to do it long distance or…"

"Nicky…there's something you don't know…" Taking his hand she gave it a squeeze. "Your mother has been pursuing her on your behalf. She hired a private investigator the day after you told her your secret. Some guy with a phenomenal reputation for discretion and immediate results…the best money could buy. She planned on telling you, but then you were injured, and until now she was worried you weren't strong enough."

After nervously clearing his throat Nick quietly replied, "Okay…uh…let's hear it. What did she find out?"

"The thing is…your mom is a much bigger hard ass than me…she thinks you're ready, but I'm worried about putting you through too much stress while you're still recuperating." But she knew realistically it couldn't be kept from him because his mom had disappeared without warning and that would need to be explained.

"I'll be fine…really. And doing nothing about her is stressin' me more." He glanced up. "Did you ask my mom to wait outside?"

"No."

Not masking his disappointment Nick said, "She didn't want to be here?"

"She's on her way to Chicago with your brother."

"Oh." He nodded. "Oh…of course…she wants to help Andy and Melissa. Yeah…I'm sure she wants to help them so they can get out here as soon as possible and start rebuilding for the kids sake. Yeah…that makes sense."

Since it was too soon to tell him why Jillian was really going to Chicago, Carrie nodded and moved on, donning her prosecutor's hat. "We'll start out slowly and you tell me when you need a break." She reached for her messenger bag and unzipped it. "To ensure your privacy, I have a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on your door and Hal knows not to come in."

Nick was certain that if he were still connected to a pulse-ox monitor that it would be beeping. "Okay."

Clutching the file Carrie calmly said, "I've done this countless times with strangers and I know you have too so, you know this…identification can be a very difficult moment for the victim. Feel free to cut yourself some slack."

"You have a picture of her in there?" He took a shallow breath.

"Yes...one taken the same year as your assault." Only seconds in and her professional façade was slipping and her emotions peeking through. "Now…as you know, since too much time has elapsed there are no criminal prosecution avenues available to you. We're doing this formal identification to be absolutely sure we've got the right woman…and because identifying your attacker out loud is a critical step in the recovery process." Her tone morphing from professional to loving she softly said, "Nicky…you haven't seen her face since that night, so don't be surprised if it hits you pretty hard. It's okay not to be a tough guy here…as a matter of fact it's healthy and normal to get emotional." Tenderly she kissed his cheek. "Like always…I'm right here for you."

"I know...um…just give me a sec, okay? I didn't expect this today and I want to..."

"Take all the time you need," she assured him while holding his hand.

After a third deep breath Nick nodded, "Okay…let me see it."

"I always warn people when the photo of their abuser is a happy photo because it can make things even more unnerving. So, be prepared, she's smiling in the picture." With that she retrieved the color photo from the file and turned it for him to see. "Is this the woman who sexually assaulted you?" Carrie saw his eyes widen as he studied the pain-triggering image.

Shelly looked exactly the same as she did that night, he swore she was even wearing the same top. "Uh…" Staring at the photo he heard her laughing at him and it caused his pulse to notch. "It's…" The sparkle in her eyes was the same he had seen when she had him pinned. "Yes."

"Yes, what?" Carrie gently prodded while gliding her palm over his back.

"Yes…" he gulped. "…that is the woman who sexually assaulted me." With a shaky hand he took the photo. "That's her…that's definitely her. That smile is etched in my brain. She smiled the whole night…even during…especially during." Reconnecting with Carrie's gaze he nodded. "That's her." He blew out a heavy breath and handed back the photo. "And that gold cross she's wearing..." Closing his eyes he shuddered. "I remember that dangling over my face. I remember thinking, how could she wear that and…"

She smoothed her palm over his back. "Take as long as you need, Honey. You tell me when you're ready for more." Carrie was thankful he was holding up well, not shedding a tear or getting outraged, because she knew the next part would shatter him.

Silence dominated the room for a while and then Nick remarked in a distant voice, "My mom is on her way to Chicago but it's not to help my brother and Melissa, is it?"

With both hands she held his. "I'm not keeping anything from you…I'm just trying to do things in the right order as quickly and gently as possible. She's going to Naperville to meet with the DuPage County DA…and here's why." Moving one of her hands she pulled out the next photo and handed it to him. "That's Carson Treymore…he's ten years old and currently a student of Shelly's and a player on her soccer team."

His body lightly trembling, Nick studied the school photo of the boy. "His eyes…they look vacant."

"His father was accidentally killed on a hunting trip about a month before that was taken in March."

"Oh…that would…" Knowing there had to be more, he tensed.

Removing the photo from Nick's hands, Carrie informed him, "He has three little sisters and his mother is working two jobs. The father's life insurance policy apparently had some restrictions, one of which was firearms usage, and since he was killed while discharging his own weapon, they didn't get any money. The mom is described as frazzled and barely making it financially." Carrie's voice began quivering. "Obviously they couldn't continue paying private school tuition, but Carson went on full scholarship thanks to a teacher advocate."

"I'm sure I know who that is," he said while his stomach churned.

"As you know from your job experience…sexual predators are very selective. They look for the right circumstances and opportunities."

"Like a kid with an overworked, overstressed mother who can't be there for him." Nick's hand went to his mouth to block the sounds trying to escape.

"Unfortunately, yes." Carrie nodded. "A mother like Mrs. Treymore who is thrilled to have a supposedly responsible adult pity her and volunteer to watch her son and make sure he gets to play soccer and go out for ice cream…and go swimming."

Although he didn't want to see it, he had to know. "What else do you have in that bag, Carrie?"

"Are you sure you…"

"Show me," he managed to get out before clamping up.

Handing over the most incriminating photo, her composure melted. "The PI uses the same type of telephoto lens that the paparazzi use to catch naked celebrities in their homes…without breeching the property…no warrant needed…he took a bunch of shots by the pool too, but this one…" It was disgustingly self explanatory. "Now you know why I had to go kickboxing."

After a few sharp breaths Nick dropped the photo on the bed and reached for his fiancée. "Car…"

"I know what you're thinking, Honey. I know." Holding him she soothed, "We've talked about this at length…but I'll tell you again. Your blurt to Catherine a couple of years ago was the first time your mind even let you acknowledge it and then you locked it away again until now. As soon as you fully acknowledged what happened you vowed to take action. That's why you called your mom out here, remember? You need to make peace…"

"In theory I know that but…it's so hard seeing her…seeing that little boy…when I had the knowledge to stop her before he had to endure any of that." Through teary eyes he stared at the photo lying on the bed. "This is the nightmare I told you about…how do I…"

Carrie turned over the photo. "Nicky…you need to believe me when I say you're not guilty of anything except being the person who ultimately brought her to justice." Caressing his damp cheek she whispered, "The authorities immediately received the same photos from an anonymous source. They're already pouncing…she's done. Do you hear me? Investigations will also open up in the two other states where she lived prior to moving to Illinois."

"It's all after the fact," he choked out.

Strengthening her tone she ordered, "You need to focus on the boys who she would have victimized after Carson Treymore, just like you focus on the victims you save when you put a murderer behind bars."

Feeling sick to his stomach Nick asked, "The boy…he doesn't look scared…why doesn't he look scared? I was terrified. He looks complacent. How could he look so unaffected while she…"

"Because it's not the first time….she's been exploiting him for a while and if she was skilled at manipulation twenty-five years ago, now she's mastered the art," Carrie answered factually as her tears built. "He probably can't see a way out…maybe he feels obligated or threatened…maybe he's complying because he doesn't want to cause trouble for his already devastated mother…we don't have an answer to that question yet."

Staring at Carrie, Nick asked, "How long do you think…"

"Probably a few months." Caving to her emotions she explained, "In a repeated abuse scenario…the mind learns to cope by disassociation. His body is there, Nicky…but his mind isn't. That's why he looks that way."

"You know that because…" In a barely audible voice he probed, "It's so hard to think of you in that situation…what did you used to think about when…" He broke down before finishing the thought.

Swallowing the lump in her throat she replied, "I pretended I had wings and flew to all sorts of wonderful places. Then one day…" She paused for a jagged breath. "…my wings stopped working and I had no choice but to stay in the moment…that's the day I found the strength to tell Paul what had been happening."

It didn't matter how many times she had reassured him previously, after seeing that photo, guilt devoured him. "How can you love me when I didn't stop the same thing that happened to you from happening to that innocent little boy? You know his pain. You know I could have spared him that pain."

"Honey…listen to me…really listen to what I'm saying." Cupping his tear stained face, a bittersweet smile found her lips. "You **are **stopping the same thing from happening to that boy that happened to me…you are stopping his pain. Because who knows how long it would have taken for his wings to break? And even if they did break and he ended it himself…you know first hand there's a very good chance that humiliation, fear and guilt would keep him silent." Tears streaming over her jittery smile Carrie assured him, "It's stopping today, Nicky…because of you. And I love you for that…and a million other reasons."

Clutching her tight enough for his wound to ache he choked out, "I love you so much."

"Will you do something for me?" she asked in a loving whisper.

In awe of her he affirmed, "You know I'd do anything for you, Carrie…anything."

"Okay then…close your eyes for me."

In an instant they were shut.

"Take the deepest breath you can manage and hold it."

His lungs immediately filled to capacity.

"Now, I want you to give your guilt some wings and when you breathe out, I want you to let it fly. Let that breath carry it away until it disappears. Now, Nicky…let it go. Let it go for me, but even more importantly…let it go for you." As the hot air from his lungs rushed past her ear she smiled. "Excellent. And don't worry…your guilt will be in very good company orbiting the planet with mine and Paul's and my mom and dad's, so you don't have to give it another thought. It's gone and you're moving on to the next phase…"

**Dr. Myers Office  
****9:22 a.m. **

When meeting with new patients who weren't exhibiting severe anxiety and requiring a more non-traditional approach, Dr. Myers conducted the inaugural session in phases. In phase one, she introduced herself and spoke of her credentials, methods and standards, hoping to assure the patient he or she was in good hands. In phase two she asked the patients why they sought therapy, asking specifically about goals and expectations. Phase three was tailored specifically to patient need. And finally, in phase four she directed a frank discussion about what would need to happen going forward if progress was to be made.

In couples or family therapy, when it was clear that the patients who were sitting in her chairs each believed the other couldn't communicate, she liked to employ a technique she personally referred to as 'The Wild Kingdom Approach' because the method allowed her to observe 'the creatures' in their natural environment…dysfunction.

To a seasoned professional like Dr. Myers it was an insightful tactic. To the layman however, it would look a lot like a shouting match between two people poised at the edge of their seats and sanity.

Ten minutes in, the good doctor had enough inside information to fuel a year's worth of sessions but she decided to let it go on just a bit longer.

"You're such a hypocrite, Mom!"

"You think it's easy being me!"

"You're the one who brought me into this world!"

"And for that I get you screaming at me day after day after day, telling me what a lousy mother I am! How about a little gratitude that I not only brought you into this world, but that I've been doing a damn good job keeping a roof over your head, food in your stomach and clothes on your back for thirteen years when, if it had been up to your father to support you, you would have been homeless, starving and wearing a plastic bag!"

"What about all the other things you've given me! Like insecurity! Self-esteem issues! A warped sense of judgment when it comes to sex, because I got to watch you go at it with your boyfriends on the couch all the time!"

"I never meant for you to see any of that, Lindsay!"

"But I did!"

"Is that how you're going to justify giving BJs to half the football team! By blaming me for doing it to some guy on our couch! I was a consenting adult and was with **one guy** at a time and I'm entitled to have a life and men in it."

"How did you hear about the football team!" Lindsay jumped from her chair. "Sean told Wendy and she called you didn't she!"

"Thank god or I would have no idea what's going on with you! Do you have any idea how devastating and humiliating that was for me!"

"It's a lie!" Tears burst from her eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that people make stuff like that up about me because they know my mother is a slut who took her clothes off for money for years! Everything that's wrong with me is wrong because you didn't show me the right way! And you didn't show me the right way because you were too busy arguing with dad, or working, or doing strangers!"

**"Time out!"** Dr. Myers shouted above the fray as she stepped between mother and daughter. "I think that's more than enough to clue me in on what I'm dealing with here." Handing Lindsay a handful of tissues and a package of M&Ms she smiled. "Do you need a little break?"

Nodding, Lindsay accepted both items. "Right through that door is what I call the safe zone. In couples and family therapy it's used as a place to escape for a few minutes and calm down. Would you like to go in there to eat your snack and relax for a bit while I speak with your mother?"

She nodded while wiping her tears.

"Okay." The doctor smiled. "I'll check on you shortly."

As soon as Lindsay was out of the room Catherine groaned, "I'm in hot water with you, aren't I, Doc? Yeah…" Pushing out a sigh she groaned, "Just give it to me straight up because I don't have time to waste, I need things fixed as quickly as possible."

Taking a seat next to Catherine, the doctor nodded. "Very well then…Catherine, your daughter has grown up in a drama starring her mother and she feels like an extra on the set...a bit player in the way of the Diva on center stage. In the last few minutes of discussion, do you have any idea how many times you focused on yourself and your needs by using the words 'I' or 'me' when your daughter was telling you how she felt?"

"Uh…" A nervous smile spread over Catherine's lips, "I'll play it safe and say way too many times."

"Thirteen times in less than a minute," Dr. Myers stoically informed her patient. "Do you think that's a bit much for a woman who told me at the beginning of the session that she was here to improve upon her relationship with her daughter?"

"On a scale of one to ten, how badly do I suck as a mother?"

"Right now? I'd give you a five because you are taking care of her basic needs and she's not in any physical danger."

"Do you think you can get me up to a ten?"

"Would you re-phrase that question for me?" she prompted.

Nodding, Catherine said, "If I work hard and follow your recommendations, do you think I have a shot at improving my maternal skills to a level ten?"

"Nine is as far as I'm willing to gamble." The doctor relaxed in her chair. "I find perfection is too lofty a goal for most people, myself included in case you were wondering."

**Butterfield Academy  
****9:31 a.m. **

As surprising as it was for Sean, so far things at school were perfect…not a single snide remark had been tossed his way, nor one snicker or glare. The jocks he met the day before had acknowledged him with cool head tosses and Celine remembered his name.

Opening his locker, a place he used to fear being stuffed into, Sean breathed easy.

"Hi, Sean," Barney Stempo warmly greeted. "A bunch of us Science Club students from last year are meeting on campus tomorrow at nine to build and launch rockets. It would be a great way for you to get to know everyone before the first official meeting next week."

"Sorry, I can't."

Barney shook his head. "You've gone to the dark side, haven't you?"

"No!" Sean protested, "I even bet my brother ten dollars this morning because I'm so confident I won't succumb to the temptation!"

"Huh?" Barney stared at his newest pal. "I meant you've decided to hang with the jocks."

"Oh!" He nodded. "Yes, but that's not why I can't launch rockets tomorrow." With uncontainable pride he announced, "I'll be taking a private tour of a body farm with **Dr. Gil Grissom**."

"You know Dr. Gil Grissom!" Barney shouted far above the din of the bustling hallway.

"Hey!" Arinna Payne, the ring leader of the ninth grade Butterfield Goths, yelled while stomping her Doc Martens towards the two jubilating boys.

Shaking in their shoes, Sean and Barney lifted their gazes to meet the nearly six foot girl's eyes.

"Did you say you know Dr. Gil Grissom?" she probed while looming over the geeks.

"Y…yes…." Sean replied as his eyes focused on the bleeding rose tattoo peeking out from under her conservative white blouse. "He…um…is a family friend. W…why?" He had heard stories of the Goths at his old school sacrificing kittens in the locker room to curse jocks and wondered if the same twisted rituals went on at Butterfield.

Bursting into a smile Arinna slapped Sean on the back. "That guy saved my brother from going to prison by proving it was another guy's DNA on the dead prostitute! My family is forever in his debt, and since you're his friend…you're mine too." She tossed her arm around his shoulders. "You're in my Biology class, right?"

"Uh huh." Glancing over his shoulder he saw Barney giving him the thumbs up.

"Wanna sit next to me?"

"Sure!" Being two years younger than everyone in the class he had been ignored the previous day.

"I can't wait to dissect a fetal pig," Arinna announced. "I want to be a coroner one day."

"Is that why you became a Goth?" he innocently asked. "To get practice cutting open flesh during vicious Satanic rituals?"

Laughing, she informed the naïve boy, "No…to piss off my dad. And the closest I've ever gotten to participating in a vicious Satanic ritual was getting a bikini wax."

Perplexed he commented, "My mom washes my sister's bikini in the machine with soap. What kind of a bikini do you have that requires special waxing?"

"Are you for real?"

Realizing he must have stumbled onto yet another sex thing, Sean burst out laughing, "Just kidding!"

"You're pretty funny for a geek."

**Santa Barbara  
****9:43 a.m. **

"Chuckles!" Tawny called into the cove from her position on the outside where she was pacing in her trendy powder blue bikini with a dark green beach towel wrapped around her hips. "How much longer? The suspense is killing me." When Greg emerged a few seconds later, Tawny released a giddy shriek. "No way! Is that the infamous puffy shirt that freaked out your dad!"

"Yes, it is," he confirmed while standing before her made up like a swashbuckler complete with head scarf, and gold earring. "I found it in my old bedroom closet yesterday and was inspired. The scarf and earring I stole from my mom like any respectable buccaneer would."

"So, this is what you always wanted to do in a cove, huh?" Grinning wildly she stepped closer. "Play pirate?"

"I borrowed your eyeliner," he laughed. "I hope you don't mind. This is a joke by the way." He laughed harder still. "I'm not trying to turn you on. My goal was to crack you up, not have my way with you."

As the waves rolled in only yards away Tawny giggled, "Except…ever since I saw Pirates of the Caribbean I've had this thing…"

"A thing?"

Coyly she confessed, "A pirate fantasy thing. **Savvy?**"

"You're **so **making that up!" Pointing at her laughing he said, "Just because you declared this as your day to spoil me doesn't mean you have to…"

"Hey! Maybe I am making it up…" Backing him into the secluded cove she rasped, "Then again…maybe I'm not." With her palms on his chest Tawny pinned him against a rocky wall and busted a gut laughing.

"I knew you were faking!"

"No!" She covered her face with her hands. "I'm laughing at myself because I really want to play this out."

"It's the pregnancy hormones," Greg replied before stealing a kiss. "But I'm more than willing to take advantage of the situation."

Batting her eyelashes as she backed away, Tawny slipped into character and shyly said, "Thank you for rescuing me after my ship sunk leaving me the sole survivor."

"Is there a reward?" he inquired with a sparkle in his eyes. "Some doubloons perhaps? You see…I'm too nice to plunder and pillage so…I'm tapped. I'm stuck in this port until I get enough loot to pay for passage out of here. I wrote my parents…but they're practicing tough love now, they told me I'd have to make it on my own."

"I wish I could help but…everything I own was on the ship." Making doe eyes she lamented, "I have no money or worldly possessions. All I have are the clothes on my back."

"I couldn't possibly ask you to remove your clothes," he replied while trying not to grin. "In pirate school I failed at capturing and ravaging women too." Shrugging he plopped down on a rock. "I need to face facts…I'm just too nice of a guy to be a pirate. I'll be stuck in this mundane seaport village forever while my fellow classmates are seeking thrills in every port."

"Please!" Tawny removed her bikini top and tossed it in Greg's direction. "It's _Asha__ Couture_ and was featured in this year's Sports Illustrated. I'm sure it will fetch a handsome price at the market." Grinning she released her hair from its rhinestone clip.

A glint appeared in Greg's eyes as he saw Tawny standing topless with a tightly wrapped green towel around her waist and her golden hair cascading over her shoulders. Chuckling he remarked, "Now you look like…"

"A mermaid!" The eight year old boy shouted as he entered the cove with his sand pail. "I found a mermaid! Mom! Mom! I found a real live mermaid!"

"Ah!" Tawny rushed her hands to her breasts as Greg hurried over with her top.

The breathless mother darted in. "Jimmy Sanborn, what did I tell you about lying! And you're not to run off without…" That's when she saw the couple playing pirate and wench.

"Can we keep her in our pool!" the hysterical boy asked. "Having a mermaid would be way cooler than even Davin Wayland's Sugar Glider. Do you think Dad will say okay!"

"I'm sure your dad would be thrilled," the woman groaned.

As he lifted Tawny into his arms, Greg shouted in his best Captain Jack Sparrow voice, "No! I'm the one who swam out to rescue her from the raging sea! Argh! You can't have her, lad!" Rushing by the stunned mother and son, he yelled, "She's my mermaid! All mine!"

"He's my hero!" Tawny declared as she swooned in her swashbuckler's arms.

"I can't believe he found her in the ocean." The entranced boy glanced up at his mother. "Next year…I promise to try a lot harder at swimming lessons."

**Moonlight Motel  
****10:01 a.m. **

Photographing the blood spatter around the filthy motel pool Sara asked her husband, "Murder, accident or stupidity?" The deceased was a nineteen year old UNLV student weighing nearly three-hundred pounds. Lying on his back on the pool deck with his head cracked open while still clutching a beer bong in his left hand, he was clad only in Homer Simpson boxer shorts.

"You know I don't like to guess before reviewing the evidence." Pointing to the vast number of empty liquor bottles littering the pool area Gil cocked his head, "With this much partying going on…anything is a possibility." Smirking he said, "It could be a crime of passion."

"Yeah…I'm sure the ladies were fighting over him considering his reputation." The vic had '_I'm a Party God'_ written in lipstick on his chest. "Why are you insinuating yourself in this rather mundane case, Dr. Grissom?"

"With Sofia in court…Jas and Pete working that scene in Pahrump…and Greg and Nick on leave, someone had to make the sacrifice and work with the pregnant girl who can't be in the field alone for fear she'd be required to lift more than ten pounds or process a dangerous substance." Grinning he shrugged. "I'm all about sacrifice."

"Okay, martyr…" Sara smirked and pointed, "Start bagging and tagging."

"I'm on it." Setting down his camera he donned a fresh set of gloves.

"What should we get your Dad and Lina as a wedding gift?" she asked after snapping a few more shots.

"There's nothing my dad can't buy," he remarked while lifting an empty Vodka bottle.

"So it has to be something sentimental."

With tweezers Sara plucked a used condom from the vic's right fist. "Speaking of sentiment…why do you think he was holding onto this?"

"Beer bong in the left, used condom in the right…" Gil shook his head. "Celebrating a triumph?"

Sighing, Sara placed the evidence in a plastic bag. "Well…at least he went out with a bang."

**The Cliffs B&B  
****10:09 a.m. **

As Greg lay her on the rumpled bedding Tawny exclaimed, "Before I was joking…but now, after you swept me off my feet and carried me here…I'm hot for you, Captain Chuckles. Hot! Come on…show me your sword!"

"I'm hot too…dangerously hot," Greg panted as he collapsed on the bed beside her. "You may have to call 911. It's a good thing I'm a CSI and not a fireman…carrying you up those stairs almost killed me. I need to get serious with Irving again. Now I understand exactly why you had such little faith in my peg-driving ability. Sorry, Princess…I'm not even at half-mast because all my oxygen is being diverted to maintain life support functions."

"Aww…." Shucking her towel Tawny crossed the room in her bikini bottom to fetch her sweaty pirate a chilled bottle of Evian. "Drink this." Handing him the open container she straddled him. "And don't be too hard on yourself," she implored while gently rocking on his hips. "You had to carry me out of a cove…over a sandy beach…up a hill…and then climb seventeen stairs to save me from being captured by that dastardly boy and his irritated mother." Her voice lowered to a sexy rasp as she lifted her hair off her shoulders and continued her lap dance. "Mmm…I felt so safe in your strong arms and your hot breath on my neck was more than enough to make an innocent maiden like me quiver. Just thinking about me makes me hot all over." Next she took the bottle of water from his hands and poured the remainder over her bare chest. "I stand by my word…you're my hero, Captain." A smile eased over her lips. "Half-mast and rising." She winked, "I've still got it."

"And I'm thrilled I'm the only one who gets it." Ready to rumble, he tackled her against the sheets. "Thrice in twenty-four hours…that's a new record for me."

"It's the sea air…I can't get enough of you," she confessed before asking, "By the stroke of midnight I fully predict we'll be up to four or five so, you better grab an energy shake for the drive home."

"Wow…you take spoiling a guy seriously." Even with the energy drink he wasn't sure he could pull off five times in twenty-four hours. "I may have to resort to pharmaceuticals to make that happen."

"Captain…how attached are you to keep this puffy shirt intact?"

"Go for it," he urged.

Buttons flew everywhere when she ripped it open. "I've always wanted to do that."

"What a coincidence…I've always wanted to have it done to me." Fired up, he dove in for a kiss.

Feeling playful she taunted, "Is that a sword in your pocket or are you happy to see me?"

Tossing his swim trunks Greg laughed, "And my dad swore I'd never get a girl if I wore a puffy shirt and eyeliner."

"The shirt and eyeliner were repellents to keep the wrong girls away." Rolling with him she panted in between heated kisses. "You know you have the right girl now, because the puffy shirt didn't chase me off…kind of like the glass slipper only fitting Cinderella."

"Did you know that it's against the pirate code to engage in lengthy foreplay?" he stated before putting an end to the tortuous wait.

"So you did pay attention in pirate school." Tawny acted like the helpless maiden she was supposed to be. "Oh my..." Grinning, she gripped his shoulders. "I do believe you paid attention during Ravaging 101 as well. But you should know, Captain…I have a delicate condition…"

"Thanks for the reminder. I wasn't thinking with my brain." He rolled their bodies so she was in control. "I'll just admire the view while cooling off."

**Moonlight Motel  
****10:21 a.m. **

"Gil…" Sara called on her radio while staring at a pool of vomit.

"Go ahead, Sara."

"Uh…I need you back at the pool." She had sent him off to process cars in the parking lot.

"What is it?" he asked upon returning. Next he pointed to the puddle. "Uh…I don't remember that being there."

Sara caught his eyes. "I think morning sickness has begun."

"You contaminated the crime scene!"

"It just happened!" she groveled. "Seriously! Without warning!"

"Sara!" Gil clutched his forehead.

"I already took all the photos."

"But it's on the leg of one of the deck chairs with spatter on it!"

"I'm really sorry." She cringed from the horrified look on his face. "I tried to…"

"Okay…let's think about how to handle this." Pacing the deck he kept staring at the large puddle. "Of course this had to happen after eating that huge breakfast my dad ordered."

"I really shouldn't have eaten that second helping of pancakes and maple syrup."

"Well…the scent of the maple syrup is helping matters a bit." Shaking his head he chided, "You know, if it was decomp triggering this I'd have a little more respect but…"

"Hey!" She pointed to her gut. "Need I remind you that you're the one who got me pregnant! It's your spawn making me hurl."

Just then David Phillips arrived on the scene. "Am I interrupting a quarrel?"

**Dr. Myers Office  
****10:32 a.m. **

With Catherine secluded in the post-session recovery room, Dr. Myers focused on Lindsay. "Better?" she sweetly inquired after the girl polished off a cup of water. For the last half hour Lindsay had been allowed to freely express herself to her mother without Catherine interrupting.

"I didn't fool around with half the football team," Lindsay announced while crumbling her paper cup. "This bitchy girl at school made it up and said it in front of a ton of people and then Sean backed her up because he knew I got in trouble for kissing his brother Ryan the day before. Now everyone thinks I'm this big slut when in reality I've only kissed two boys…Jakeand Ryan. I still don't think my mother believes me."

"Does your mother have any reason to distrust you on these matters?" the doctor probed, already knowing the answer.

Lowering her head, Lindsay confessed, "Because of what happened in Ryan's room…because I kissed him and tackled him onto the bed and then said it was his idea."

"Why did you blame him?"

"Because I was mad that he didn't think I was pretty or popular enough to fool around with."

"Did he say that?"

"No." Glancing up with new tears spilling from her eyes Lindsay whispered, "Not with words. But he pushed me away and didn't want to touch me. A girl has to be real unattractive for a guy to toss her off him."

"Can you think of another reason why Ryan may not have wanted you touching him?"

"Oh my god…" Lindsay covered her mouth with her trembling hand. "He's gay!"

Dr. Myers smiled at the stunned girl. "I was trying to lead you to other possible explanations. Sure, that's one, but the one I was thinking of is…he's thirteen and just developing a sense of sexuality. Perhaps your aggressive moves scared him off."

"But he's a guy," Lindsay scoffed. "Guys always want action."

Leaning closer the doctor said, "You're basing your opinion on what is supposedly the societal norm…and from what you hear guys saying…but what boys say to their peers under pressure and what they're really feeling inside aren't always the same. Don't you say things at times because you want to look cool to your friends, but not really mean them?"

Her thoughts flashed to conversations with Celine while shopping. "Yeah."

"Well…what Ryan may say to his jock friends about girls may be completely different than what he really is ready to do with one. You assumed his reticence was based on something wrong with you when really…it could be based on what's right for him."

"That's really confusing."

"So many things about sex and relationships are, Lindsay. There's a reason adults urge teens to wait to explore these things…they're complicated. Human minds and bodies move through cycles of development and when someone isn't ready to move to the next level and they're forced, it can negatively impact that development. A person can develop issues…"

"I think my mom has one."

"I think you do too," Dr. Myers calmly replied. "I think you saw too much and you don't know what's normal for your age. I think you tried out on Ryan what you saw your mother doing with grown men because you thought it would make Ryan like you."

"But it backfired and now he hates me and my mom thinks I'm a slut."

"Can you think of any other reason your mom may be so upset about the rumor?"

After a moment she said what Warrick consistently told her. "She doesn't want me to have the same reputation she did."

"It's instinctual for a mother to want to protect her child."

Lindsay huffed, "Then why didn't she do a better job being a mom?"

Doctor Myers stood and grabbed one of her plaques from the wall. "Read this quote by Maya Angelou…it's a patient favorite."

"You did then what you knew how to do and when you knew better, you did better."

**McCarran Airport – Las Vegas  
****10:41 a.m. **

Waiting for his flight to Chicago, Drew cracked open his fifth prescribed self-help book, while his mother participated in yet another heated phone conversation with her friend since law school, Darlene Miller, a retired Cook County Prosecutor.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a voluptuous blonde take a seat next to him.

"I saw you reading Mister Rogers and decided to wander over to your neighborhood," the sexy Vegas showgirl dressed in tight jeans and a crop top remarked while noting the man's fine leather shoes, Cartier watch and Texas A&M ring on his right hand. "Where's your big black hat, cowboy?"

Drew flashed a neighborly smile at the woman. "Howdy."

"Howdy." She moved a little closer and put forth her brightest smile. "So, you're a fan of Mister Rogers?"

"Big time." He returned his gaze to the page. "How can you not admire the man who once said, '_Little by little we human beings are confronted with situations that give us more and more clues that we aren't perfect_'?"

"You look pretty damn perfect to me, cowboy. I like your watch too."

Winking at the young lady he replied, "My** wife** gave it to me as a gift on our wedding day. It has a real sweet inscription on the back. Would you like to see it? She's a very thoughtful woman. I'm counting the minutes until I'm back home with her in Chicago because I love her to pieces."

"Yeah? Did she give you a watch instead of a wedding band?" She wasn't buying that he was married.

"I lost my wedding band, but I'm hoping to be wearing one again soon." Truthfully it was in his dresser drawer at home and he intended to put it back on as soon as he returned if it was okay with Melissa.

"You wanna sit next to me on the flight?" the vixen asked while putting her best assets forward.

Turning up his drawl Drew replied, "Thank you for the kindly offer, ma'am, but I already have a pretty little lady to sit with…" He pointed to his mother, who had just caught him talking to the sexy woman and noticed she looked poised to kill. "…my Mama."

"Whoa…she looks pissed as shit."

"She's having a rough day and now she thinks I'm hooking up with you when I'm a married man." Sighing he informed the girl, "She'll more than likely haul off at you for being a home wrecker and at me for being a cheat."

"Crap! She's coming this way," the woman squeaked before jumping to her feet. "I didn't know he was married when I hit on him, and all he did was talk about loving his wife!" Then she disappeared into the crowd.

Drew stood to greet his mother. "You didn't really think I was hooking up with her, did you?" He kissed his tense mother's cheek.

"I'm can't handle games today, Andrew," Jillian snipped while sitting down.

"Sorry." He returned to his seat, cracked open the book of quotes and began making notes in it.

"Andrew…"

"Yes?"

"Would you please fetch me a bottle of water? I need to swallow a couple more Excedrin."

"Sure thing, Mama." He left his book on the chair and hustled down the hall.

Attempting to distract herself Jillian picked up her son's book and opened to the page where he had placed his pen. At the top of the page forty he had scrawled 'Good one for Lissa and me' and her eyes immediately took in the first part of Mister Rogers's quote…

_Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else._

Next her gaze moved to the right page and her son's handwriting. 'To share w/ Nicky' and once again she read the quote below…

_When I was a boy I used to think that strong meant having big muscles, great physical power; but the longer I live, the more I realize that real strength has much more to do with what is not seen. Real strength has to do with helping others. _

**University Trauma Center  
****11:01 a.m. **

"Are you doing okay?" Carrie sweetly asked her fiancé as she held his hand walking to the sunny courtyard at the end of the hospital wing. "This is the furthest you've walked."

Wearing the new navy blue robe she had bought him and his Tevas, Nick gave her hand a squeeze and assured her, "I'm doing fine…and I know you're not just worried about me hurting physically."

"Good to know on both counts then." When she opened the door to the outdoor patio Carrie cryptically remarked, "I hope you don't mind that I invited a guest."

"A guest?" Nick glanced up and saw Ron Grissom sitting at one of the patio tables.

Carrie smiled back at her fiancé. "I thought it would help."

"God, I love you. Thank you, Darlin'." He pecked her lips before turning to greet his visitor. "Hey, Ron." Nick gingerly approached holding his side and then extended his hand. "Thanks for coming."

"I was thrilled when your fiancée called because **my **fiancée is busy shopping for our wedding this evening and I needed something to occupy my mind."

"Congratulations!" Carrie exclaimed along with Nick.

"Thank you. Gil and Sara are standing up for us at the chapel and then we're flying to San Francisco to celebrate for the night."

The thought of such a happy occasion warmed her heart on a traumatic day. Helping Nick ease into a chair she said, "I'll tell Sara to take plenty of pictures because you know me…I love weddings."

Once they were all seated, Ron smiled at Nick. "So…Carrie told me you couldn't wait to get started on your project."

"The mood really overcame me this morning," he replied while adjusting to a comfortable position.

"I can empathize." Smiling, Ron opened his portfolio. "I'm just like you…when I get motivated, there's no stopping me. Hence the reason I'm getting married only a day after proposing."

Pulling up a chair next to Nick, Carrie took his hand. "Nicky wanted to get married the minute after proposing."

"Of course he did," Ron told the young lady. "He didn't want you to sleep on it and change your mind."

"Absolutely." Nick's eyes focused on Carrie's. "I didn't think it was possible that she would marry the likes of me if she thought about it for a while. That's why I'm looking to increase my good karma, Ron. I want to keep her."

Putting on his business hat, Ron asked, "What are you looking to do with your new found wealth, Mr. Stokes?"

"Just so you know…I talked this over with Sara briefly this morning and she's cool with it."

Beaming with excitement, Carrie interjected, "She's** thrilled** with it and would love to be here, but she's working a case and couldn't get away for a lunch break because there was some kind of complication at the scene."

Ron nodded, "Don't worry then…I know I'll approve, because anything my daughter-in-law backs, I back too."

After filling his lungs with the first fresh air he had all week, Nick boasted, "We want to expand B-PaC by building a Child Crisis Center and Emergency Shelter. Carrie did a bunch of research last night and has a couple of examples of centers from other parts of the country that we think might work here in Vegas."

"How much money are we talking about to kick off this project?"

The enamored couple exchanged excited glances and then Nick answered, "Between Carrie's old settlement money…which I just found out about yesterday…" He gave her hand a squeeze. "…and what I just received as compensation for my accident, we want to kick in one point five million to start. Then we'll invest some more to help fund the project. We'll also implement the external fundraising plans you reviewed with Sara and me at the BBQ last week to keep the operation going."

Lifting his pen Ron remarked, "You know my company, IHMD, Inc, as B-PaC's Corporate Sponsor, will match your contribution and I of course will always be available to advise you for free but, you'll need to hire a skilled Project Manager right off the bat."

Nick burst into a smile, "Ron…I have the perfect guy for the job. He's a one hell of a businessman and as luck would have it…he's unemployed, moving to Vegas, and willing to work his ass off for me for peanuts. His name is Andrew Stokes and he can start on Tuesday."

Ron leaned back in his chair. "What a coincidence…that's when Tawny starts working for me. Not that they would have to interact much but…"

Carrie smiled at the mildly concerned man. "I called Tawny a few minutes before you arrived and ran it by her. She said, quote…'community service work is exactly what a guy like Drew needs to make him realize what a jackass he's been'."

Nick nodded. "I really couldn't agree more. Greg is marrying a very intuitive woman."

"Did he give her the ring?" Ron asked, hoping for the best.

"Not yet," Carrie answered while laughing. "All she knows is Greg has a special plan and the proposal will happen sometime between Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon."

Cheered up from talk of the charity project and Greg's oddness, Nick cracked up. "Yep…that sounds like Greggo. I just hope **the plan** isn't for his mommy to propose for him."

**Santa Barbara, CA  
****11:10 a.m. **

Standing on the balcony of the B&B, Greg shouted into the phone, "Mom! Guess what! I've been dying to tell you but I haven't had a moment away from Tawny. She's taking a shower now so…"

"What is it, Sweetheart?"

"Guess what song she wants to be our wedding song!"

"Um…"

"Come What May!" he jubilated.

"Really!"

"Really!" Greg kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure Tawny wasn't in sight. "Mom…I just wanted to say thanks for not letting me throw in the towel yesterday when I was chickening out because Tawny is going to **love** the proposal."

"Remember to tell your father I was a hard ass."

"I promise. And speaking of you and Dad…" He snickered into the phone. "Would the two of you mind getting lost between two and three? There's something Tawny and I would like to do and…"

"Say no more," Bev chuckled. "We'll head out at one and see you at the club for happy hour after you're through with whatever twisted thing you have planned."

"It's not twisted, Mom," he droned. "It's just not something I want to do while my parents are home."

"Okay, but I had the carpets cleaned recently so if you're going to…"

"Mom!" Greg watched the surf roll in while shaking his head. "I just want to fool around with a girl in my old room, okay? Because I never had the chance when I was a teenager. Tawny is fulfilling my old fantasies today and that's one of them."

"Aww…"

"See…I'm not a twisted sex freak." He laughed. "And I only plan on going to second with her." Laughing harder he added, "Because I'm exhausted from playing Pirate and Wench with her all morning."

"You get that from your father," she groaned. "He had me playing Jane to his Tarzan all night."

"Eww." Greg's stomach churned.

"Exactly!" Bev shouted. "So don't tell me any more details! And I was only kidding about the role play."

"So was I."

"Uh huh." Sighing, she asked, "Did you speak with Becca yet?"

"I left a message but had my phone off until now. She called three times."

"She came here last night looking for you."

"She did? What did you tell her?"

"I didn't talk to her, your father did and you lucked out, Son…he spilled the beans. Even told her you were on an overnight date. In his opinion she looked devastated…which shocked the hell out of your father, but he didn't know you had just turned her on a few days earlier."

Holding his suddenly throbbing head Greg cautiously asked, "Did you tell him that part?"

"I didn't want to ruin the positive vibe you have going with him so…no."

"Thanks." He breathed out a sigh of relief. "I love you. See you soon."

Placing her hands on his hips from behind, Tawny teased, "That better have been your Mommy on the phone you were loving, and not Becca."

"Yes, it was my mommy," Greg answered as he turned. "And don't even joke that you think I could…

"I don't have a fear in the world about your behavior. But, after you told me about what she did at Starbucks, I have a few about her. I know what bitchy, jealous girls are like, Greg...I shared a locker room with them for years." She caressed his cheek. "More importantly…I love seeing you confident and happy. I don't want her to bring you down and make you tense because I have this sneaking suspicion, once she knows her Hoj is off the market, she's gonna want you with a vengeance and not give up without a fight."

"I promise I'll make it perfectly clear to her not to waste her time. I would have already if she had given me a chance to…" The ring of his cell interrupted his words. "Speak of the devil."

Tawny seized the opportunity by snatching the phone from her man's hands and answering in the sultriest voice she could muster. "Hello, how may I help you?"

"May I speak with Greg please?"

"I'm sorry…" Tawny leaned against the rail and stared at her stunned man. "…Greg's in the shower and I'm just about to join him. I can take a message if you'd like."

"Tell him he left his boxers at my house the other day and I want to know if I should bring them to the club or leave them here for when he spends the night again."

Tawny covered the receiver and shook her head at Greg. "Oh! See! I knew it. She's playing dirty with a capital D! She's trying to make me think you slept with her so I get pissed and dump you."

"Here…" Cringing, he reached for the phone. "I'll…"

"Oh, no…I'll handle it." Returning to her sultry voice Tawny replied in a weak voice, "He left his boxers? Uh…which ones? When? It couldn't have been recently because we…"

"Abercrombie…green stripe…Monday night."

"Oh…um…I don't know…um…I can't believe my Greggy would…" She pretended to sniffle. "I have to go!" Upon hanging up she laughed.

"What exactly are you doing?" Greg stared in disbelief as Tawny returned his phone.

"Now she'll show up at the club dressed to the nines and ready to pounce, because she thinks I'm out of the picture and her Hoj is in need of a shoulder to cry on." Fluffing her hair she giggled. "This is going to be fun with a capital **F** for **Fat Chance Becks**!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

The Shelly smackdown has begun and I think it's safe to say Mama Stokes will be making sure things are handled quickly and properly. I wrote a few versions of that reveal and hope the pacing in the final cut worked as well as the gradual transition from the heavy opening to Dr. Myers to Butterfield to the beach and then the crime scene worked and wasn't too jarring. Like in reality, life is going on for everyone else while Nick enters the final phase of his childhood drama and that's why I felt comfortable having heavy and light in the same chapter.

Sean has infiltrated another group thanks to his association with the bugman! And Sean is learning! He figured out the bikini wax must be 'a sex thing' by matching Arinna's reaction to the reactions of his mother and Nick when he asked the big question. For anyone familiar with kids like Sean that's a huge social skills step.

Greg and Tawny were in there for some levity. Luckily Greg is enjoying his one day of spoiling because once those twins arrive I don't predict he'll get another day like this for a while…LOL…maybe ever.

Thanks for the review Misty-J! Good to hear you're still enjoying the story.

**Next Chapter:** Greg's trip to Fantasyland isn't over yet…phase two of the Shelly smackdown…find out how Gil figures out a way for Sara to work in field without fear of contaminating the scene…just how is Hodges doing after Chuck E Cheese…all the women are getting ready for a night on the town (dress photos for the visual fans)…Sean has an unexpected offer…get your first glimpse at the arrangements in the Willows/Brown household…Drew returns to Lissa…and yes FINALLY the moment has arrive – Becks and Tawny shall meet! **Posting:** Friday late (US MST) If it sounds like a lot, it is…10,000 words (when I've been writing 8,000) so you may need a snack and beverage lined up :-)

**Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!**

**Maggs**


	25. Chapter 25

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 25**

**September 2, 2005  
****Crime Lab - Grissom's Office  
****12:54 p.m. **

When Sofia arrived she found Gil behind his desk looking somber and Sara sitting in a guest chair looking equally glum. "What's going on?"

"We had a problem this morning," he informed the Quality Control Officer. "Evidence at the scene was accidentally contaminated by CSI Sidle."

Sofia took a seat next to Sara. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention so promptly."

Gil nodded. "Well…as the Master Criminalist and the highest ranking person on the scene, it's my obligation to report such things. When Greg contaminated a scene a few months back I noted it in his personnel file and reported it to you and…" Smirking he said, "I wouldn't want you to think I'm biased in regards to my wife."

Sara handed over the incident report she signed. "I puked without warning."

"Uncontrollable morning sickness?" Sofia commented while raising her brow. "Hmm…how can we be sure it won't keep happening and lead to more contamination incidents?"

"I knew you'd ask that." Gil rubbed his hands together and cheerily said, "CSI Sidle and I have come up with a corrective action plan to ensure it won't happen again."

Sara held up the sickness bag on a chain her inventive husband had crafted for her. "I'll wear this at all times when I'm in the field until I'm beyond the spontaneous morning sickness phase."

Sofia burst out laughing. "You're making your wife wear **a feed bag**, Grissom?"

"In the interest of the lab's integrity…yes." He relaxed in his chair. "So let the record show…I'm a man of integrity."

**Catherine's House  
****1:01 p.m. **

After a few steadying breaths, Warrick entered through the back door of the house and stepped into the kitchen. "Cath…Linds…"

Seconds later they both arrived and Lindsay, out of breath, ran and wrapped her arms around Warrick's waist. "I knew you'd come back."

Holding the distraught girl, he stared at Catherine. "How was your session?"

"Intense." Leaning against the fridge she watched her daughter clinging to Warrick. "Where have you been?"

"Checking out of the motel I checked into yesterday."

"So you're buying the house with us!" Lindsay cheered while backing away.

Warrick place his hand on her shoulder. "Linds…can you give your mom and me a few minutes?"

"I'll do anything you want me to do!" she declared before dashing out of the room.

When her daughter was gone Catherine sighed, "You're backing out, aren't you?"

"No." He saw the surprise in her eyes and moved closer. "A friend reminded me that when things get tough a person either runs or fights. I don't want to be the type of guy who runs out the door and leaves a mess for a woman and kid…no matter how much both of them are driving me insane. I'm **choosing** not to be that guy…I'm choosing not to be my father. I want to buy the house and then I want us to work on making things better. In the end…maybe they won't get better and we'll have to make some tough decisions." Swallowing the lump in his throat he said, "But at least I'll be able to look at myself in the mirror and say I did everything I could to try and make things work. That I can live with…I can't live with walking out the door without trying harder to make things work."

With teary eyes, Catherine slipped her arms around his waist and rested her hand on his chest. "Thank you."

**America West Airlines – Flight 412 Vegas to Chicago  
****1:11 p.m**.

Placing his sixth and final book, Tuesdays with Morrie, on his mother's tray table, Drew said, "Thanks for the homework, Mama. I paid attention to the lessons and I predict Lissa has done the same."

"Thank you for putting a bright spot in my day," she replied while continuing to stare out the window.

"I couldn't help but overhear your phone conversation earlier, and while I may not be too smart when it comes to my personal life, I'm still an intelligent guy." Sighing, he said, "When Nicky opted not to tell Dad and me any details the other day in the hospital when we were apologizing, we didn't push."

Jillian raised a brow. "That had to come as a shock to Nicky considering all the two of you ever did was push him."

"Well…the new leaf had been turned over by that point, and you know us Stokes men…we're stubborn. Neither one of us was gonna slip up."

"Yeah." Feeling parched again, she opened a new bottle of water.

"Dad and I talked privately afterwards and we came to the same conclusion about what must have happened. When I heard you on the phone I realized we had been spot on about everything except one detail…"

Turning her head, Jillian remarked, "You thought it was a man."

"Yeah," Drew confirmed. "I never suspected a woman would do that sort of thing."

"Join the club," she replied in a voice thick with regret.

"I need to use the restroom," Drew abruptly announced and when he stood he tapped the book he had placed on his mother's tray. "Page 166…there's a little something for you."

As her son walked away, Jillian cracked open the book to the specified page and saw Drew had underlined the words of the dying man in the story…

_"It's not just other people we need to forgive, Mitch," he finally whispered. We also need to forgive ourselves." _

_"Ourselves?"_

_"Yes. For all the things we didn't do. All the things we should have done. You can't get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened. That doesn't help you when you get to where I am." _

**University Trauma Center  
****1:20 p.m. **

"More comfortable?" Carrie inquired when she returned to the room and saw that Nick was settled in bed.

"Absolutely…and my reply has nothing to do with my locale." Holding out his hand, he waited for her to take it. "I'm loving the forward motion instead of the backwards glance. Thanks for giving me some perspective, Sweetheart…and a supportive push in the right direction."

"Anytime," she whispered while climbing into bed. "And if you enjoy the feeling of forward motion…I think you'll love what I have to show you because you started the ball rolling."

He only now realized she was holding a folder.

"While Hal was doing his thing with you, I was busy printing something off my laptop in the University's technology center. The PI I told you about…he's still working for your mom and he emailed me something for you." Carrie handed over her file. "No need to warn you about her smiling in this picture, Honey."

When Nick flipped open the folder he saw a printed picture of Shelly being led away from her school in handcuffs surrounded by several police officers. "Would you look at that," he said as the ramifications sunk in.

"Justice is served, Nicky." She rested her head on his shoulder as he continued to gape at the photo. "Your mother has a friend, Darlene Miller, who used to work as a prosecutor in Chicago for the Cook County DA. The crime occurred in Naperville in DuPage County. Darlene Miller's son just happens to be the DA in DuPage County. Once the photos were in the hands of the authorities, your mother called Darlene and filled her in. Some serious forward motion occurred after that. The boy's mother was picked up on her way into work and brought to the station where she received word of the anonymous tip."

"That had to be hell," Nick quietly commented while closing the file. "I'll never forget the look on my mother's face when I told her."

"It was executed very well. A top notch crisis intervention team was sent to the boy's home and the mother took him out of school and brought him there. Once he realized he was safe and supported, Carson told his story. And Nicky…" Carrie gripped his hand and smiled, "…he gave the cops some phenomenal tips. Shelly has a video collection and she kept souvenirs from her vics. You know how that works with serial offenders…they love tokens and use them to engage their memories. Shelly Anson-Travers used them for something else too…Carson told authorities that she played the videos to show him how much fun the other boys were having and she called the souvenirs **thank you gifts** from the other boys."

Blowing out a tension-laced breath Nick said, "I wasn't expecting that part."

"There can't be a video of you, Honey. She was at your home and..."

"No…I'm talking about her reliving memories over and over again with…" Grabbing the rail he bolted up. "That bitch!"

"What is it?" His breathing was escalating and his body tensing. "Nicky..."

"She took it! Oh my God."

"Took what, Honey?" she calmly prompted while smoothing her palm over his back.

"My _Most Improved Player_ Trophy. That bitch took it!" Rapidly he gave the details. "I told you, I was in a fog for a week after she…my mom thought I had the flu. I wouldn't sleep in my room because it gave me nightmares to be where it happened, so I slept on the couch saying it was more comfortable and I could watch TV. Finally my dad put his foot down and made me sleep in my room. That night I couldn't fall asleep so I'm pacing my room and that's when I notice my trophy was gone. I lose it…I fly out of my room screaming for Andy because he had told me being called _most improved_ meant I was the biggest loser to begin with and he couldn't believe I'd display it on my shelf."

Carrie nodded. "That unfortunately sounds very believable."

"That's the reason I thought he took it!" Emotion building he said, "I need to get out of bed and pace this off."

A second later Carrie was standing and helping him to his feet. "What makes you think she took it?"

_"What did you get this trophy for, Nick?" Shelly asked through a smile as she lifted it off the shelf. "Nick Stokes - Most Improved Player, huh?" _

_Lowering his head he somberly replied, "Andy said that means I was the biggest loser on the team. If you wanna see some real trophies you have to go to his room. He wins MVP every time. My dad bought him a real nice case to keep his trophies in because he ran out of room on his shelf. Andy says a small shelf will do me just fine for the rest of my life at the rate I'm goin'. He also said I should be real embarrassed to have that trophy in my room. Until he said that, I thought it was the best thing that ever happened to me."_

_Laying the trophy on the end of the bed she knelt down in front of forlorn boy. "Didn't I tell you big brothers don't know squat? He's just scared because one day he knows you'll improve so much that you'll be better than him. You should be very proud of that trophy…I certainly am." Smiling brightly she pulled him in for a hug. "I know I'd be honored to have that trophy." _

"Oh, yeah…" Holding onto the wall Nick confidently said, "Knowing what I know now…she took it. I feel it in my gut, Carrie. You have **no idea** how big a deal that was in my house…the roof practically blew off from my mother screaming at Andy to give it back. I thought my sister Kendra would kill him if my parents looked the other way. Andy…he kept insisting he didn't take it and then my parents gave him a choice…

_Jillian stared down her boy, "Andrew William Stokes, you have a choice to make…you either hand over Nicky's trophy or sit out Friday's playoff game." _

_"I'm quarterbacking that game!" Outraged at the injustice Andy screamed, "And I can't hand over something **I…don't…have**!" _

_"Don't you ever talk to your mother that way, Andrew," Bill snapped as Jillian took Nicky in her arms to comfort him._

_"Sorry, Mama," he managed to get out while seething. "Look…give me a Bible and I'll swear on it…take me to grandpa's grave and I'll swear on it **while** I'm swearing on the Lord's wordI didn't take it and I'm innocent until I'm proven guilty." _

_Bill nodded at his boy. "Name one other person in this house, other than you, who ever said anything derogatory about that trophy."_

_Andy watched as his sisters shot daggers. "I can't, Sir." _

_Jillian asked, "Who told Nicky that a trophy like that doesn't belong in a house full of winners, and if it were up to you, you'd take it to the garage with the other junk?" _

_Staring at the floor he somberly replied, "I did, Mama." _

_Bill tossed a nod to his daughters. "Y'all check the garage." In a flash they disbursed._

_After a deep breath Andy looked up at his disappointed mother, "Yes, I said those things, but…I stand by my word. I can't hand over something I didn't take." _

_Bill nodded. "Very well then…you'll inform your coach in the morning that you'll be sitting out the big game." _

_Andy stood tall. "Yes, Sir I'll do that. But Dad…if we ever find out what really happened to that trophy, I'll expect an apology." _

Hands planted on his hips Nick shook his head in disgust. "Un-fuckin'-believable how much trouble she caused in my life and my family's in one god-damn night. But hell…what am I complaining about…Carson's family is going to be dealin' with the fallout for years just like your family did, Carrie." Walking over to the bed he stared at the picture of Shelly in cuffs. "It's killin' me that I can't hop on a plane and be there for her arraignment." Gripping the bed rail, he lowered his head. "Damn."

"Nicky…" she soothed. "Your mom will be there in time for the arraignment and we'll hear all about it." Trying to perk him up she said, "A warrant has been issued to search her house. If your trophy is among her collection, then I'm sure a skilled DuPage County CSI will bag it as evidence." Watching him stare at the photo she said, "When all is said and done and she's rotting in jail, the evidence will be released to its rightful owner and you'll get it back and clear your brother's name." Smiling she added, "And you can be damn sure there will be a nice spot in our house for it to be proudly displayed."

**The Sanders Home  
****1:48 p.m. **

Alone in the house, Greg stared at Mr. Peebles who was perched on a shelf in the family room in his airtight plexiglass case. Shaking his head, Greg recalled his conversation on the subject with Dr. Myers…

_"Actually, I'd like to talk about my childhood comfort item for a minute. Do you think there's anything wrong with a boy having a stuffed donkey named Mr. Peebles?" _

_"No." _

_"Do you think there's anything wrong about the boy's mom keeping it in a custom-made plexiglass box in the family room now that he's grown?" _

_"Yes, I think your mother has transferred her feelings for you onto Mr. Peebles and is doing with him what she wishes she could do with you…keep you locked away and under her control." _

With the guilt of a naughty boy, Greg glanced over his shoulder and snatched the case off the shelf. After that, he dashed upstairs to the guest room, to secure his rescued childhood friend in a suitcase. "I have just the spot for you back in Vegas, old Pal…my kids' nursery. I think Dr. Myers would agree that's a wonderfully healthy location for you to live out your retirement." Staring at the donkey's amber eyes Greg chuckled, "Yeah, I'm finally in therapy working through my baggage…and for conversing with inanimate objects."

The ring of the doorbell echoed through the house.

"Sorry…I have to cut this short, Buddy." Greg re-zipped the suitcase and trotted down the stairs to answer the door.

Upon peeking through the peephole he burst out laughing. There was Tawny, back from her trip to Target, dressed in a plaid skirt and white blouse, with a backpack slung over her shoulder and her hair in ponytails. Running upstairs to change his shirt, Greg shouted, "Mr. Peebles! I forgot to tell you I'm having the best damn day of my life! Partly because I'm fulfilling most every fantasy I ever had, but mostly because I know without a doubt I will be marrying the most fun and fantastic woman on the planet!"

Outside the house, Tawny impatiently rang the doorbell a second time then adjusted her knee-hi socks.

"Sorry!" Greg breathlessly announced when he opened the front door wearing an old Prep School sweatshirt, jeans and nothing on his feet. "I was uh…out back…when the doorbell rang and…um…**hi**…thanks for coming over to…um..."

"Hi," Tawny greeted with a little wave and a smile, while adoring the feigned nervous high school boy chatter. "Thanks for agreeing to tutor me in Chemistry."

"Hey…no problem." He nervously eyed his supposed classmate. "I'm happy to do you. **Oh!** I mean **it!** I'm happy to do it…tutoring. I'm happy to tutor you…anytime."

"Are we going to do **it** here?" Tawny coyly asked while peering into the house. "Or are you going to ask me inside where there is probably a table and chairs?"

"Oh!" Greg stepped back and invited her in. "Sorry…good thing my parents aren't home or they'd be yelling about forgetting my manners. Come on in."

Grinning, she stepped inside. "So…your parents aren't home?"

"No, they're out for the rest of the day." Walking backwards into the living room he said, "I hope that's okay with…"

"Oh!" Tawny dropped her backpack and rushed to see if Greg, who had tripped over a shoe and fallen to the floor, was alright. Trying not to laugh she wondered if he had done that on purpose or if it was just one of his usual unplanned mishaps.

"I'm okay!" Sitting up he shook his head. "My mom is always telling me not to leave my shoes lying around the house. Now I know why…" Staring at Tawny he gushed, "…she was trying to stop me from making a fool of myself in front of beautiful girls."

"You think I'm beautiful?" Tawny said in a dreamy voice.

"Uh…" Scrambling to his feet Greg said, "Can I get you something to drink? I have everything set up in the kitchen for us to study. Yeah…are you hungry? Because we have food. Lots of it actually…anything you want."

"A Coke would be great."

"Oh…uh…we don't have any sugary drinks because my dad's a dentist."

"That explains why you have a gorgeous smile," she sweetly informed him while batting her eyes. "A glass of ice water will be fine."

"Great!" Acting appropriately flustered he led the way. "So, Mr. Keenan is giving you a hard time in Chem, huh?"

"Totally!" Upon entering the kitchen she stifled her giggles by quickly covering her mouth. On the island counter, Greg had an old Chemistry book and a bunch of school supplies. "Are you sure you don't mind helping me?" she asked while he was filling up a glass with ice from the automatic dispenser.

"It's my pleasure…really…" His eyes locked on the buttons of her blouse bursting at the seams. "…it's no problem…**oh shoot!"** The glass having reached its capacity sent ice tumbling all over the floor.

"Let me help!" Tawny rushed over and began picking up cubes, making sure to bend over in her skirt and give him a show. "I think that's all of them."

Greg held his handful of cubes to his forehead. "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

"Sure." Tawny stood, placed her cubes in the sink and then seductively said, "I'll be waiting for you when you get back."

**Crime Lab – Grissom's Office  
****2:01 p.m. **

"I'm heading out to get ready for the big event," Sara announced to her husband upon walking into his office. "I still have to buy a dress and shoes because my red dress is too sexy for a wedding and my green dress is too casual for a night on the town." She scratched her head. "I called Carrie to see if she was up for helping me pick something. She said they're waiting for some results at the hospital and she didn't want to leave. That got me worried…it has to be serious for her to pass up shoe shopping." After a labored sigh Sara informed her husband, "She also cancelled the little welcome home get together for Nick tomorrow night. She apologized saying she had gotten overly excited but now she thinks he'll need to rest. You don't think he's coming down with something because of his compromised immunity, do you?"

"That's odd..." Gil leaned back in his chair. "I just spoke with my dad and he said Nick was doing great. He was with him for two hours planning the new phase of BPaC."

"That's what I thought too…when we were in the field Carrie called to run the Crisis Center concept by me and she seemed really upbeat."

His curious nature getting the best of him Gil said, "Something must have happened after my dad left the hospital."

"You do realize you've never visited Nick or called him, right?"

Gil cocked his head. "You think he's mad at me and that's why…"

"No." Sara rolled her eyes. "I was just pointing out that once again you've forgotten your people skills."

"And, if I get up and go visit him this afternoon, I may find the reason for the sudden changes and satisfy your curiosity."

"Ugh…I really hate how well you read me sometimes. Apparently pregnancy hormones have turned me into a Mother Hen. Forget I mentioned it." Turning she headed for the door. "I'll see you back at The Mandalay."

"Honey…" Gil smiled at his caring wife. "I'll call you on the way back from the University Trauma Center later. I have some papers for Nick to sign and suddenly I think now would be the perfect time to handle it."

Blocking Sara's departure, Sofia posed in the doorway. "Speaking of papers and Nick…" With a smirk on her face she held up a file. "Guess who else is objective around here?"

"Oh brother." Sara pushed past her co-worker. "You two stubborn mules can continue your feud without me."

Sofia strutted in and tossed the file on Grissom's desk. "I found a critical error in one of Mr. Stokes's reports."

Grissom couldn't contain his laughter. "I write something in Sara's personnel file so you go off and look for something on Nick so you can prove you're just as objective as me. Are we in high school?"

**The Sanders Home  
****2:06 p.m. **

When Greg re-joined his classmate in the kitchen he held up a boom box. "Music…it stimulates the mind."

"Whatcha got in there?" Tawny asked from her position on a barstool at the counter.

"Prince…Diamonds and Pearls. It's topping the charts." Pressing play he shyly said, "I find his music really sparks my creativity."

"Ooh! I love Prince. Purple Rain is like one of my favorite songs ever."

As the music filled the room, Greg took a seat next to his pupil. "So…what exactly do you need help with, Miss Cooper? Bonding? Balancing equations." Lowering his voice he suggested, "Spontaneous combustion?"

"Tawny…" she prompted while gazing into his eyes ready to kiss him. "Just call me Tawny."

"What do you need help with…Tawny?" He was desperate to press his eager lips to her glossy ones.

"I love how you say my name."

"It's a beautiful name, just like…." He kissed her with his eyes.

"Just like what?" she murmured while leaning in to meet his lips half way.

"Just like you're beautiful."

"There's something you should know…" Teasingly brushing her lips over his she confessed, "I'm an A student in chemistry."

"Then why did you ask me to tutor you?" His palms landed on her thighs as they continued to near-kiss.

"Because I've been nuts about you since the first day of school." She rested her hands on his shoulders. "I had this crazy idea that maybe if we saw each other off campus, you'd finally make a move."

"You mean like…kiss you?" His hands slid around her waist.

Running her fingers through his hair she pleaded, "Yes…kiss me."

In a flash they were thrilling each other in a tantalizing lip lock.

"Wow," Tawny breathed out when they finally parted. "That was even **better **than my dreams."

"You've had dreams about me?" He loved the detail she was putting forth. "Because…I've had dreams about you too…awesome dreams. I fell in love with you the first time I saw you at your locker."

"I'm crazy about you too and…" With her hot breath fanning over his neck she whispered in his ear, "…I've been saving myself for you, Greg."

"Do you…um…" Holding both her hands he nervously asked, "Would you like to see my Science Fair trophy?"

"Where is it?" As if she didn't know.

"In my room," he answered while struggling to keep a straight face.

Slipping off the stool she demurely replied, "I'd love to."

Walking hand in hand up the stairs Greg remembered his earlier words to his mother… _I only plan on going to second with her_. That really was what they had planned on doing when they developed their role play idea on the drive. But now, Tawny's eyes were boiling with desire and he wondered if she wanted to take it further. Not knowing what the girl was thinking really made the fantasy seem like his old high school reality. "Sorry…it's a little messy because I didn't plan on showing it to you."

Once again Tawny grinned at the sight of the room Bev had preserved for her son. There was no need to pretend it was his senior year…it looked the same as it did in the early nineties. Glancing up at Greg she saw passion brewing in his deep brown eyes and desperately hoped he'd stay engaged in the fantasy, giving her the perfect first time she never had in reality.

"Here it is…" He pointed to the three foot trophy on a special shelf. Her proximity drove him wild and he couldn't stop gaping at her.

"Wow…" Coming to rest in front of it she pointed to his engraved name. "Gregory Hojem Sanders – 1st Place. Very impressive." When he stood behind her Tawny leaned against his chest and as his fingers gently gripped her hips, she let out a pleasurable gasp. "Greg…have you ever…"

"No." Sweeping her hair off her neck he whispered in her ear, "Have you?"

Turning to meet his gaze she responded in kind. "No…not even close."

Coiling his arms around Tawny, Greg initiated a tender kiss.

"Don't stop there," she pleaded.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes…" she panted in his ear while he drove his hands under her white cotton blouse.

Wrapping her fingers around the edge of his sweatshirt, Tawny quickly yanked it over his head.

Greg followed suit, hurriedly popping open the buttons of her blouse to reveal she had nothing on underneath. As their bare chests met he rasped, "This is the best day of my life."

"Mine too," she declared in between frantic kisses.

Minutes later they tossed their final layer of clothing and met in the middle of the bed kneeling in front of one another.

Anxiously, Tawny asked, "Are you sure your parents won't come home?"

"Not for hours."

Gripping his shoulders she leaned in to initiate another urgent round of kisses.

"Wait…" He pulled away and darted over to the dresser to grab the open box of condoms that his father had jokingly left there the previous day. "I wouldn't ever want to do anything that could end up hurting you."

When he returned to the bed a more responsible guy, Tawny embraced him. "Thank you for that."

Grinning at each other they fell against the sheets and twined their bodies just short of merging.

Knowing his woman's penchant for movie lines, Greg softly posed the same question Jack sensitively asked Rose in Titanic before the big moment, "Are you nervous?"

While Eskimo kissing she assured him, "No…not in your arms."

"My heart's pounding."

"I can feel it." Unable to imagine him playing it more perfectly, she easily lost herself in the fantasy.

Grazing a kiss over her lips Greg whispered, "I love you, Tawny."

"I love you too," she managed before gasping.

**Crime Lab – Trace  
****2:23 p.m. **

"What happened to you **now**, Hodges?" Grissom asked upon seeing his battered face.

"I got roughed up at Chuck E Cheese," he grumbled while returning his eyes to the microscope. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss the embarrassing details of his near arrest for attempted child abduction.

Grissom leaned against the counter and did what his compassionate wife would want him to do…feigned interest. "Did an angry pack of kindergarteners shake you down for your tokens?"

"Look…" Hodges glanced up. "I know how much you love bonding with me but…I don't want to talk about it. It's personal…specifically, it's humiliating. So just tell me what you want and leave my bruised face and ego alone."

Grissom stared at man thinking…my wife tells me I'm shirking my people skills so I make an effort and now I get snubbed. "I want your 'Suck Up' file, Hodges."

"Which one?" He stood and headed for the file cabinet. "I have one for the Sheriff, Brass…"

"Nick's…I want to review the old death threat stuff and the connection to the Dalmatian Save lady with Carrie when I'm visiting Nick at the hospital."

**Crime Lab – hallway  
****2:30 p.m. **

"Sofia!" Tracey Albright from the prosecutor's office, and an occasional tennis partner, flagged her down.

"Hey, Tracey. What's going on?" Her friend looked even more frazzled than she did at the courthouse that morning when she said Carrie's cases had been divided amongst the already overworked staff.

"I'm handling pre-trial discovery for State vs. Burbank…rape case involving eighteen year old Hannah Barstow. You processed the defendant's residence with Pete." She handed over the file. "There's a 'do not disturb' order on Nick's hospital phone, and I have two messages out to Carrie but she's hasn't returned my calls. I thought you might know…how long will it be before he's on his feet and able to be interviewed?"

"He wasn't on the case," Sofia informed her. "Nick was on vacation, Willows processed the girl, Pete and I handled the scene, Warrick Brown was the supervisor."

"Stokes is a critical civilian witness. The girl cried out to him at the Walk-In Clinic." Tracey handed over her notes. "You obviously didn't read the full report. Here are my notes from Barstow's latest interview."

"Sorry, I handled my piece as required and who has time for elective reading?" Skimming the notes she goaded her friend, "Trace, we're more swamped over here than you are at the courthouse because you only get the trial-worthy cases…we have to work them all."

"Sorry…I'm stressing."

Sofia froze when her eyes fell on a specific paragraph in the girl's pre-trial statement and Tracey's voice faded into background noise.

_After listening to Mr. Stokes talk about his regrets over not reporting the woman who raped him as a kid, I realized keeping my secret would be worse than telling. _

"Sofia…" Tracey prodded. "Any idea how long until Nick is back on his feet?"

"Uh…" Returning the notes she said, "He's due to be discharged tomorrow. If I speak with him or Carrie I'll let them know you need a call."

"Thanks." She glanced at her watch. "Gotta run."

Leaning against the wall, Sofia raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Damn."

_"No, thanks…I do my best work unrestrained." _

_"Just lay back and do what I say, Stokes." _

_"I need to go. I'm not in the mood." _

_"I promise you'll enjoy it." _

"I said I'm not in the mood, so back the hell off!"

_"What you're not in the mood for is a woman being in charge of the action."_

"Shit." She stomped her foot as more of his words echoed.

_"When you pulled those cuffs on me out of the blue, I politely declined and you **ignored me**! So who really is the control freak here, huh! I don't think it's me! I think it's the person not taking **no** for an answer!"_

"Nice going, Sof," she cursed herself thinking…exactly how many personal situations are you going to misread in your life?

The clap of two hands finally snapped her out of guilt-induced daze.

"Welcome back, Ms. Curtis," Jim greeted. "That must have been one hell of a date last night to have you daydreaming in the hallway." He handed her a slip of paper. "Attempted rape at The Sundevil Motel." Jim smiled, "You're working solo but, I have faith you can handle it…especially because there's no one else around to accompany you…and because you're a pro. The Labor Day weekend relief shift arrives in two hours. If you need help call it in then."

"Thanks, Jim…" She stared in disbelief at the paper. "…your timing is impeccable."

"I know." He winked before turning. "I've been hearing that from women since high school."

**The Sanders Home  
****2:43 p.m. **

Snuggled under the comforter facing each other, Greg sweetly asked, "Are you doing okay, Tawny? Do you need anything? I could…"

"I'm perfect. You were perfect. Everything was perfect," she dreamily replied while basking in the afterglow. "How about some pillow talk? That is…unless you're not much of a talker."

Grinning wildly he said, "What are your future plans?"

"College for sure…and a career," she quickly replied in character. "I'm not sure what I'll major in yet." When she saw a twinge of guilt in his eyes Tawny smiled, "But those are the little things. What I want most out of life is to marry the man of my dreams and raise a family with him…having a loving family means everything to me. Oh…and I have this crazy fantasy about having twins." She giggled, "Oops…I bet that's the last thing a seventeen year old guy wants to hear."

"Are you kidding? That's my dream too." Then he realized what he said and chuckled, "Except I want to marry the** woman** of my dreams and raise a family with **her**. And I think twins would be really cool."

"What else? What about a career?"

"Well… if I could be anything, I'd be a Crime Scene Investigator but, it's really hard work and I'm not sure I can handle it without someone supporting me along the way." Stroking her hair he said, "Someone who would hug me at the end of a long day and make me forget the terrible things I saw and someone to be there in the middle of the night to hold me if I have a nightmare. If I had someone like that in my corner I think I could do just about anything."

After grinning wildly at each other Tawny shrieked, "As much as I love the fantasy…I love the reality even more. Can we come back to 2005?"

"Please…before my 1992 acne shows up."

"Be right back!" With that she ran out of the room.

Sitting up he glanced around his old room and waited for his dream girl to return. "Finally these walls can talk about something other than my adventures with Pamela Handerson."

"Surprise!" Tawny held up her notebook. "Look what I packed! It's time to update your fantasy list." After re-joining him she flipped open the right page and jotted her latest updates in red. "Check it out."

"Hmm…we need to alter the last one a little because I think our kids will get a kick out of those goofy pictures of me." Smiling, he reached for the pen and made his adjustment. "That's better."

_The Fantasies of Greg Sanders - Summer 2005 Edition:_

_Meet the woman of my dreams – complete  
__Fall crazy in love – complete but falling harder all the time  
__Say 'I love you' to the woman of my dreams – complete but ongoing  
__Hear the woman of my dreams say 'I love you too'- complete but ongoing  
__Make love with the woman of my dreams - complete but ongoing all the time (hopefully)  
__Have the hottest sex of my life - complete but always striving for a new personal best  
__Get a bigger place to live in with the woman of my dreams-__complete _

_Bring the woman of my dreams to my parents' home in California –complete!  
__Steal Mr. Peebles – mission accomplished!_

Tawny kissed her man and said, "You've completed all your summer 2005 fantasies and it's not even Labor Day yet."

"Let's review the future edition," he took the book, scanned the list and jotted some notes.

_The Fantasies of Greg Sanders -Future Edition:  
__Beat Tawny at Boggle__ - complete (but she let me win)  
__Beat Grissom at poker  
__Get engaged  
G__et married  
__Become a dad  
__Be a great dad  
__Buy a hamster for my kid  
__Get a really nice house for my family  
__Have a second baby with my wife (if it's okay with her) We're having twins! (And she's okay with it)  
__Take Grissom's job when he retires (and be even better at it than him)__  
Continue having hot sex and making love with my wife until the day I die (Doing a great job so far!)  
__Never stop being quirky and funny no matter how tough my job or life gets  
__Live every day to its fullest (9/2/05 - prime example of success!)  
__Live happily ever after with my wife (How could I not! She's amazing!)  
__(I'm sure I'll add more, but I think this is a good start)  
__I honestly have no idea when any of these things will happen but…_

_I can't imagine enjoying any of them without you in my life.  
__I love you, Tawny._

_Greg Sanders__ Chemist-CSI-Visionary_

"Hmm…let's keep this handy because I think we'll be making another update real soon."

"Oh really…" Tawny simmered in anticipation of making a note next to 'get engaged'.

Gazing into his future fiancée's eyes Greg deadpanned, "Yeah, I saw my old Habitrail in the garage and I'm thinking of getting that hamster sooner than planned."

After slamming a pillow in her man's face Tawny slipped out of bed. "I'm hitting the shower. It's time to head to the country club and meet the woman who made your life hell for years."

"But you already met my mother," he quipped while hurrying to join her. "Oh! You mean Becca."

**Becca's**** House  
****2:51 p.m. **

Standing in front of her full-length mirror Becca stared approvingly at herself wearing the gypsy-inspired Robert Cavalli animal print halter dress with its deep-slit neckline and fitted bodice. "Oh, yeah...Hoj will love this," she purred while checking out the rear view. "Talk about a well spent fourteen-hundred dollars."

With a spring in her step she tossed her sleek auburn hair off her shoulders and headed for her shoe closet. "Jimmy Choo Crystal Ring Slides…I'm coming for you!" Laughing she pulled the seven hundred dollar black kidskin sandals from their perch. "Oh yeah," she moaned while sliding her perfectly pedicured feet into them. "And don't think I forgot about you Dolce & Gabbanna." Strutting to her accessory closet she selected her eighteen-hundred dollar D&G hobo bag and swung it on her finger.

Stopping in front of the mirror again she noted the confidence in her piercing blue eyes. "After being dumped by his mousy girlfriend today, Hoj will need a place to fall." She eyed her bare bronzed shoulder. "This time he'll be crying on mine." A tiny cackle escaped her lips. "I have no doubt that his Ex was another plain-Jane lab nerd. He'll be ready to trade up. And girl…you look sexy as hell."

**Nordstrom's  
****3:04 p.m. **

Poised in front of the 3-way dressing room mirror, Sara chewed her bottom lip and wondered if the flirty halter dress in azalea silk would work for the special occasion.

Zeroing in on the deep v-neck a smile crept over her lips. Her hormone infused breasts definitely filled out the garment. Gil will love that she mused. Yes, it was just sexy enough for the evening without being inappropriate for a wedding.

Standing there, feeling feminine and flirty in a new dress, Sara was surprised to find herself thinking that shopping and trying on clothes, rather than online shopping, could be fun. Then two obnoxious gum-cracking hussies spoiled her bliss.

"Hey…" The red-head approached. "What shoes are you going to wear with that dress, girlfriend?"

"Uh…" Sara glanced down at her unpolished toes that she still had to paint. "I haven't um…"

The blonde eyed the woman from head to toe. "It needs sandals but, if you're not planning on getting a pedicure you better cover those skanky toes."

"Hey…thanks for the unsolicited advice," Sara snarked while retreating to her dressing room, miffed that strangers would be so rude. Behind the safety of her door she muttered, "They remind me of girls from old school."

**Butterfield Academy  
****3:14 p.m.**

Celine called across campus, "Sean!" He was heading for the parent pick up area.

"Hi, Celine!" Oozing with happiness from having yet another perfect day he smiled at his friend.

"Do you think Lindsay's mom is switching her to a new school? She wasn't here all day."

"No," he informed her. "Her mom called the office and asked if I could bring her work home for her since I live next door to her as of today. She took the day off because of the move."

Celine didn't mask her disappointment. "I thought we got lucky." Just then she heard some snickering behind her.

"Is he your new charity project, Celine?" Marisa Carlson, a sixteen year-old bitchy friend of her sister's, asked while pointing at Sean. "I think you've gone too far this time. He's hopeless."

"Is that some kind of challenge," she snipped. Without giving much thought to the forlorn guy standing beside her Celine got in Marisa's face "Sure, Sean's not much to look at now but…I can make him hot."

Marisa, whose father was high up in Caesar's casino management eyed the geek. "Hundred bucks says he still looks like a dork when you're done with him."

Sean choked on his pride and said, "I'm going to be late if I…"

"You're on Carlson!" Celine grabbed Sean's hand. "You're coming home with me."

"What?" He pointed toward the parking lot. "My mom is waiting for me…and I'm not allowed to go to a house where she hasn't met the parents. Well…that's actually a rule for Ryan because I've never been invited to someone's house." Then he panicked. "And you're a girl!"

"No shit, Sherlock."

"You cursed." He covered his mouth as if he were the guilty party.

"Did you ever consider that maybe if you cursed a little around the guys they wouldn't think you're a prissy Mama's Boy?"

"Mom!" Sean shouted when he saw her walking towards him holding Ashley.

"I was worried because you were late." Last year when he was late it meant he was hiding or being harassed. "Who's your friend, Honey?"

"Mom…this is Celine Campbell, the girl I was telling you about yesterday. Celine, this is my mother, Wendy Blake."

"How do you do, Mrs. Blake," Celine greeted, making sure to turn on her manners and charm. "I was hoping Sean could accompany me home after school today to tutor me in Chemistry. It's the one subject that gives me trouble. Would it be alright?"

"Uh…" Her gut screamed, no, but she saw how happy Sean was and relented. "If I drive him there and meet your mother and she says it's okay…and she'll be there to supervise you."

"Great!" Celine enthused. "I'll write down the directions."

**Willows & Brown Household  
****3:22 p.m. **

"That goes in the guest bedroom," Catherine directed the movers before glancing over at Warrick. "Do we **really **have to do the separate rooms thing?"

"Cath…" he shot a warning glance. "We've already discussed this twice. We need to work out our shit and in the past when we tried to do that we always ended up in working it out between the sheets instead of with our heads."

"Just because we'd be sharing a bed doesn't mean we'd have sex." His look said it all. "Okay…okay."

From behind a stack of boxes Lindsay appeared grinning. "I think it's an excellent plan, Mom." Smugly she explained, "In your previous relationships with men you've counted on sex to keep things happy. When the sex went down the drain, the man went out the door. By focusing your energies on verbal communication instead of physical, there's a decent chance you might keep a guy around for once."

Catherine glared at her precocious daughter. "One therapy session and you're hanging your counseling shingle?"

Smirking, Warrick strolled by. "The girl makes an excellent point."

"Yep." Lindsay nodded. "And in other good news…now I'll get to enjoy my first night here without having to listen to the two of you christen the place."

Alone in her new living room Catherine stuffed her hands on her hips. "I'm living with an outrageously sexy man and sleeping alone…yeah…that sucks."

**Drew and Melissa's Home  
****3:31 p.m. **

When Drew stepped inside the empty foyer of his extravagant home, he filled with apprehension. The last time he'd seen his wife she was loathing every fiber of his being, slapping divorce papers against his chest. "Hello…" he called out, expecting the housekeeper and the kids to greet him and maybe Lissa too. "I'm home."

When no one showed up, he set down his luggage and headed for the stairs. "Lissa?" When there was no answer he walked down the hall. "Lis?" She said they'd be home all afternoon.

"Sorry!" she announced upon darting out of the master bedroom and startling him in the hallway. "I didn't hear the door." With a nervous smile she finished tugging on her strappy metallic sandals. "I had the TV on a little too loud. One of those decorating shows I like. This one was about kids rooms and I thought I might be able to use one or two of the ideas in the new house. Anyway…um…how was your flight?" When he didn't reply she prompted, "Drew…"

Enraptured with her feminine appearance in a pistachio green silk wrap dress with delicate gold threading, he hadn't heard a word she'd said. She looked like she used to when he'd arrive home after business trips and whatever new perfume she was wearing smelled fantastic. "Sorry…I didn't catch what you said."

"How was your flight?"

"Because we took an earlier flight we had to fly coach and the exit row seats were booked." He broke into a smile. "It'll be a while before my legs recover."

"It can't be worse than the time you surprised me in Milan for a show and…"

"I'll never forget that." His voice was low and deep. "We had the best time."

She smiled at the memory. "Before I left, you said you'd follow me anywhere…and then you did."

"You look great, Lissa. That dress…"

"Uh…" The comment on her appearance snapped her out of her nostalgic and romantic haze. "The kids are out back with Marta. I thought it would be a good idea if we went out somewhere to talk and you see them later, because Cassie won't want you to go once she sees you."

"Sure." He straightened up. "Let me just grab my car keys."

"You don't have a car, remember? Your former employer took it back."

"Oh…right." Running his fingers through his thick hair, Drew said, "I guess for a moment I was convincing myself the last year was a bad dream and it was old times."

"No…these are new times." Melissa smiled at her husband. "So…I'll drive and listen to sports scores while you obsess over your appearance in the passenger side mirror."

Returning her smile he nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

**Greg's Mommy's Borrowed Car  
****3:40 p.m. **

"So, what's the final strategy?" Tawny nervously asked as she fidgeted with her romantic mango-colored halter dress and fluffed her hair.

"The first order of business is for you stop playing with your look in the mirror." He snapped up the visor so she'd stop staring at herself. "It's pointless…you can't improve on perfection."

Gushing from the compliment she asked, "Do you think your mom will be upset that I returned the dress she bought me for Friday Happy Hour because my boobs outgrew it?"

He chuckled sweetly. "Since my mother is into 'public boob containment' I think she'll be fine. And I like that dress even better than the other one."

Still giddy from the shopping rush she said, "Can you believe I got it for only **a hundred bucks** on super summer clearance! That's how I financed your outfit…the original dress was four-hundred. My shoes were an even better deal."

"How much were those?"

"**Free**! I borrowed them from Carrie." Looking at the window she laughed, "I figured the country club set would have some killer shoes so I outsourced my footwear selection to a pro. I can't believe Carrie has **three pair** of Manolos. That's so not her personality…then again I wouldn't have thought Nick was her type either, so go figure. And before you say it, Chuckles…" she laughed. "Just because I like borrowing her shoes for a weekend, doesn't mean I fantasize about borrowing her man."

"I wasn't thinking that," Greg laughed from his belly…for a minute. "Hey…but…why were you thinking that?"

Ignoring him she asked, "So, am I Amish or not?"

"You don't want to be Amish anymore?" he asked in surprise.

"I feel a little guilty lying to people…even if they are strangers. I should just go with the semi-truth…I'm just a hayseed from Kansas who didn't have the money for college…and because I spent all the money I saved from waitressing on boobs, I'm just starting out. Let them judge me…I don't care. I know it's not going to change the way you feel about me."

"Absolutely not." Pulling into the club entrance he smiled. "Trust me…everyone here will know exactly how thrilled I am to be marrying you." He left out the second part…_because I'll be proposing in front of all them and most likely screaming Halleluiah when you say yes._

"We're finally here! I thought this day would never come." Tawny took a deep breath, flipped down the visor and checked her look one more time. "Maybe if I put just a little more…"

"Stop!"

"Stopping!"

"Just remember…" After pulling into the valet drop spot, he gave her hand a squeeze and spoke softly. "Come what may…I love you until the end of time."

"Awww..." She winked. "I'll remember that when Becca is grabbing your ass and telling you to dump the uneducated farm girl."

"Hey, she can grab a free feel if she wants to, but you're the only one I'll be putting my hands on." Leaning over he placed his palm on Tawny's neck, easing her into a kiss.

"Mmm…" Her nerves significantly calmer she murmured, "One more just like that."

"Twist my arm." The dark tint of the car windows provided privacy for a passionate smooch.

When the driver-side door flew open and Greg heard a familiar voice, he broke the kiss.

"Hoj! What's taking you so long?" Becca laughed as she bent over to peer inside. "You're not **entertaining yourself** in there are…" Her eyes locked on the model-perfect blonde in the passenger seat. "What the…"

"Uh…" Greg turned to face his old pal. "Becca!" With his girlfriend's mango lipstick on his mouth he smiled. "Rebecca Turnbull…this is, Tawny Cooper…the girlfriend I've been** trying** to tell you about for days. Tawny…this is my old school chum I told you all about…Becca. "

"Hi, there." Tawny flashed her sexiest smile and waved at the paralyzed woman. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Becca. Well…meet you **in person** that is, because we spoke on the phone earlier. Yeah…I was the girl you tried to scare off with the tale of the green-stripe boxer shorts." Wrinkling her nose Tawny giggled with delight. "But look…I'm still here."

Greg watched the shock wash over Becca as she realized her earlier attempt at manipulation failed. "Hey, did you happen to bring those boxers, Becks? They're one of my favorite pair. Yeah…it takes a while to break them in and achieve the perfect comfort level. At least a dozen washings and then sometimes…"

In a jealous daze, Becca heard nothing while Tawny, on the other hand, heard it all, and telepathically advised her man. _Stop talking about your underwear, Chuckles! _

When the valet finally opened her door Tawny took the young man's hand and swung her legs out of the car. "Thank you." She wasn't sure if it was just a regular Santa Ana wind or a stroke of good karma that fueled the breeze but, when she stepped onto the sidewalk, her whimsically curled golden locks blew and her sexy dress billowed against her voluptuous body as if she were in the middle of a provocative Vogue photo shoot.

Along with every man in the immediate vicinity, Becca stood gawking at the stunning woman with the incredible body.

Twenty-six year old Charlie Dwyer, AKA Mister Hollywood, the resident playboy-extraordinaire of the club, slapped his buddy Brian on the back. "Do you see what the gods just dropped on my doorstep?" Running his fingers through his jet black hair, he honed his brilliant blue eyes on the beauty before him. "Ho-ly shit I must have her within the next two hours or I will surely die from depravation."

"I think you're much more likely to keel from depravity, my friend." Brian tossed his cigarette to the ground and blew out the smoke in his mouth. "Whose car is that? And what's up with Becca? She looks like she swallowed dog shit."

"Who gives a shit about Becca when there's a goddess in my range? And what car the goddess arrived in is irrelevant…" Charlie rubbed his hands together. "…because she'll be leaving in mine."

After handing the keys to the valet, Greg emerged from his mother's car. "I kept trying to tell you, Becks," he informed his stunned friend. "You never listen to me."

"Sanders!" Charlie shouted accidentally out loud. Then he turned to his buddy and heatedly whispered, "That bombshell came here with **Sanders**? The guy never has a date and then he shows up with her?"

"Obviously, he's her gay," Brian assured his pal. "All the chicks have them these days…they're the hot accessory. They don't go anywhere without their cell phone, credit cards and gay guy. She probably wanted to get into the club for the big weekend and you know Sanders…he's a doormat. Shit…a looker like her, you **know** she's here digging."

"Fine by me…" Charlie salivated. "She can have some of my gold…I've got plenty to spare. My trust fund runneth over…just like my hands plan on doing to her bodacious breasts."

Taking Tawny's hand Greg kissed it. "Ready for a drink?"

Becca muttered, "Hell, yes."

Looking over her man's shoulder Tawny remembered the old adage about keeping your enemy close and sweetly extended an invitation. "Becca…you'll join us too, won't you?" Fiddling with Greg's jacket lapels she said, "I want to hear all about **my Hoj** when he was a teen." Out of the corner of her eye she saw the jealousy rage within Becca and thought…_that's right, you heard me…I used your cute little nickname for him…it doesn't belong to you anymore, and neither does his self-esteem…it's under **my** control now and unlike you, my primary goal is to pump it up, not stomp it like a grape. You won't be hurting him this weekend or ever again. Savvy?_

"Sure….drinks would be great." Becca sucked it up and smiled. "As his oldest and closest friend, I'd love to reminisce and get to know **my Hoj's** newest friend." What she really meant was…_because the more I learn about you, the easier it will be to get rid of you, just like I got rid of Hoj's mousy college girlfriend without him knowing how. I still remember the look on Miss Chem Nerd's face when I 'accidentally' told her that Hojie and I had spent the weekend screwing each other in Taos. Oops! Ugh… after getting a taste of him the other night, I wish that lie had actually happened. _

"Shall we, Ladies?" Finally feeling like a million bucks at the club, Greg draped an arm around each of their shoulders and walked his women toward the entrance right past Charlie and Brian. "Hey, guys. I'm ready for a party weekend. How about you?"

Charlie tried not to laugh at the concept of Greg Sanders being down with the ladies. "Shit yeah…the big party's at Steffie Sinclair's. I just tagged you. But it's invite only so, keep it to yourself, Sanders." He chuckled. "Of course you can bring **your ladies**."

While Greg immediately declined, the women on his arms eagerly said, "We'll be there!"

Greg heard Dr. Myers screaming in his head like the angel on his shoulder…_don't go…whatever you do…don't go to that party_. _You're not supposed to be drinking! And why would you want to take Tawny there…you know it's not a party, it's a drunken orgy…you don't fit in there…they always make fun of you for standing out like a sore thumb_. Then he heard his own voice_…Damn straight you want to go to that party. That's where you overheard the beautiful people saying you were queer and mocking you. Of course you want to take Tawny there and prove you're worthy of a babe on your arm._ "Just shittin' ya. Damn straight I'll be there!"

"Alright man." Charlie leered at Tawny. "I look forward to seeing you there."

With that, Greg led his former and his current loves into the club, turning more heads and fueling the grapevine. "Look who's home for the holiday weekend!" he joyfully announced like a prodigal son to the lobby full of people, most of which he had known from a young age. Wallowing in his new playboy status he flashed a Hollywood smile. "Drinks on my tab!"

Becca whispered in his ear, "Hoj…you were denied a tab at the club because you didn't have adequate financials, remember?"

"Ooh, right!" Greg shouted at the people milling into the bar. "Make that **my mother's** tab!"

Tawny whispered in her man's ear, "Chuckles, you were an inch away from pulling off the Mr. Hollywood thing." Supportive of him finally having a little time in the spotlight as a happening guy, she coached, "Here's the deal…you need to step up the charm, because you don't have the cash. You observed Slick Nick for years…that's how he worked the scene, pretend you're the old him."

He whispered back in his best Slick impression, "Baby, is that your subtle way of sayin' you want me to knock back some tequila and bring Becks and you to the nearest closet for a little three-way cowboy romance? 'Cause I'm all for buckin' like broncos if…"

"Pardon us for a moment, Becca." Tawny grabbed her man's hand and yanked him across the room. "Just so we're clear, Gregory Hojem Sanders…I don't care if it's every man's fantasy…the number three does not exist in my sexual world."

"I was kidding!" Greg burst out laughing. "I was pretending like you told me too. I was trying to be smoooooth for you. Okay…here…check this out." Moving closer he zeroed in on her moody brown eyes and spoke in a sexy whisper, "I could've had Becca the other night…hell, I could have had her in the Starbucks parking lot, but there's only one woman on this planet for me…that's you, Baby…and I'm not sharin' you with anyone. You already rocked my world three times today…" Placing his hands on her hips he brought his mouth to her ear, letting his lips graze her lobe. "…and tonight, at that party…I'm gonna back you up against the wall and when I have you there, I'm gonna make you scream my name and beg me for more, and when you do, I'll give it to you…oh,yeah…I'll give it to you like you've never had it before because you're my one and only, Darlin'. Mmm…" After suckling her ear lobe he stepped back grinning "Take that! Oh yeah…I'm a player. Did I sound like a player?"

"Ugh! You sound like every** loser** I've ever dated. If I wanted the ultimate smarmy man, I'd cuddle up to sleazebag, Charlie. I don't want a player…I want my Chuckles back," she demanded in a pouty voice. When she saw Greg grin Tawny giggled, "Okay…I have a proposition for you. Since I know you're getting engaged sometime tomorrow…"

"…or Sunday."

"I'm hedging my bet that it's tomorrow." She pecked his cheek. "I'll let you have a night of drunken debauchery with **only me**. Hoj, AKA The Player, is allowed to surface at the party tonight, but after that, he retires for good."

"Good…because I doubt I can keep it up for long." He chuckled sweetly. "Which may be the case at the party tonight since you've already exhausted me."

"Kids!" Bev, fueled by a very nice wine buzz, hustled over. "You made it!" Grabbing Tawny's hand she hoisted it in the air with hers. "Everyone! Look! **Greg has a girl**!"

As everyone cheered, Becca sulked in the corner of the lobby. "He won't have her for long, Bev. But don't worry…I'll be there to heal your little boy's heart."

Charlie came to rest next to Becca. "That's a lovely shade of green you're wearing, Ms. Turnbull."

"Beat it."

"Look…clearly you want your Hojie back under your thumb, and I'm sure you can guess what I want." He winked. "Why not double-team them to expedite the process?"

Becca glanced up at the player. "Hmm…good point. If anyone can charm the thong off her in record time, it's you, Charles."

"Champagne in the bar on me!" Bev announced.

Grabbing Charlie's arm Becca smirked. "Let the games begin."

**

* * *

****Author's Notes: **

So there you have it…Tawny and Becca have met. THE END. LOL…not quite. I hope it was an entertaining read. Just in case anyone is concerned that Tawny is turning, or will turn into a catty bitch…that's not what she's doing. She's 'handling' Becca the way she knows a girl like Becca needs to be handled. We know that the only time Greg really got Becca's attention is when he was in a 'take no bullshit' mode. Her attention needs to be grabbed and she can't be given more than a few inches of leash. Tawny worked in a cut throat environment with girls much worse than Becks. She knows what she's doing and in the next chapter she gets a little help from a new friend. Also in the next chapter…Greg shares a little quiet time with Becca and does something he's never done before ;-) .

**Refresher:** We first heard about Charlie back in FS 63 after Bev had just returned from Vegas and Scott returned from fixing Charlie up. In the next chapter you'll see how someone cleverly handles Charlie.

_"Baseball to the mouth. It was nasty. Two reimplantations with splinting." Scott tossed the shirt then ran his fingers through his meticulously groomed short brown hair. "But Charlie will be fine…thanks to my amazing skill."_

_"I've always admired your humility, Dear," She quipped while kicking back in the tub. "And how was Katie?" Katie Dwyer, wife of Dr. Michael Dwyer, top Cardiologist in town and big spenders at the country club. She was Hollywood-obsessed and always gushing over her jock son, Charlie's movie-star good looks. He was a twenty-six year old med student at UCLA who had earned his Bachelor's on a full tennis scholarship and every time he showed up at the club he had a different buxom blonde on his arm._

There was a lot going on in this chapter and a lot of set up for the next and future ones. Some revelations…Andy realizing it was a woman who abused his brother, Nick recalling the missing trophy incident, Sofia's discovery (I had to work in a little Brass Man there), Drew & Lissa discovered some leftover feelings, Cath understanding she will not be getting lucky for a while, and Grissom shared his feedbag solution LOL.

Celine/Sean, Becca/Greg…some more parallels ahead. Greg wasn't just a victim in his relationship with Becca, she served a valuable purpose in his life. He'll verbalize that in 26.

**Next Chapter:** The day continues to be a learning experience for many! **Posting:** Monday morning.

**Have a great weekend! **

**Maggs**


	26. Chapter 26

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 26**

**September 2, 2005  
****Celine's**** House  
****3:45 p.m. **

"This isn't a house," Wendy remarked upon driving up to the guard gate. "It's a compound. Sean, what do Celine's parents do for a living?"

Eyeing the palatial home Sean replied, "She said her dad owns a casino and some hotels and her stepmom is a retired dancer."

Rolling down the window to speak to the approaching guard, Wendy thought…_I'm dropping my kid off a mobster's house._

"Hello, ma'am." The guard couldn't ever recall seeing a mini-van pull up. "Mrs. Blake and Sean, I presume. Miss Celine informed me you'd be arriving."

"Yes." She nodded. "Sean is tutoring Celine."

Tipping his hat, he buzzed open the gate. "Straight up the drive."

"Thank you." While she pulled through Wendy glanced around looking for signs of armed guards patrolling the grounds and vicious hounds. "Son…if I don't get a responsible vibe from Celine's stepmom I'm going to say…'oh, no! I forgot we have company coming' and that will mean you can't stay. Got it?"

"Okay, Mom." Anxious to have a study session with a friend for the first time ever, he hopped out of the car and trotted up the nine stairs to the ornate glass double doors.

Only seconds later, Celine enthusiastically greeted her visitors. "Hi! Are you ready to study!"

"Is your stepmom around, Sweetie?" Wendy calmly asked while bouncing Ashley and peering into the museum-quality home.

"Here she comes now!"

Wearing her most conservative animal print dress, Brandi Campbell stepped outside and did as Celine had begged her to do…pretend to be normal and nice. "Hello, Mrs. Blake. It's so lovely to meet you. I'm Brandi."

_Yep, she's a barely legal ex-stripper, just like I imagined. Okay, but so is Tawny and she's a wonderful girl and was an excellent babysitter. I don't want to be judgmental. My paranoia is based on my own loose teen years, and I really doubt Celine is interested in Sean for more than tutoring. _"Nice to meet you, I'm Wendy."

"I know what you're thinking," Brandi said with a smile.

Wendy sincerely hoped she didn't.

"I look very young for my age…but don't worry, I just turned twenty-two and your son will be safe here. My husband is very protective of Princess Celine." She pulled her annoying step daughter close and feigned affection. "I'll have an eye on them at all times."

Wendy asked her standard question. "Will they have access to alcohol, prescription drugs or firearms?"

Brandi lied well, "All that stuff is locked up tight and my husband detests guns and violence."

"Okay, then…uh…" Wendy clutched Ashley tighter and turned to Sean. "Call me when you need to be picked up, Honey."

"Thanks, Mom." He remembered to play it cool and not give her an instinctual hug and kiss. "Bye!"

"Let's go make S'mores, kids!" Brandi announced with the verve of a first-year Girl Scout Leader. "I have both milk and dark chocolate.

Following his friend, Sean entered the lavish home excited about having S'mores and talking Chemistry.

Once the door was shut, Brandi bitched at Celine, "I'll be with my friends by the pool, so don't even think about using it! You owe me big so don't piss me off." With that she sashayed down the hall. "I don't want to see or hear you!"

"Yes, Mommy Dearest," Celine snarled while taking Sean's hand. "Come on…my bedroom is upstairs."

"Uh…your…." Sean felt his whole body tense. "You know…**oh no!** I think my mom forgot we have company coming." Slipping out of her grip he hurried to the front door and swung it open. "Oh…she's gone."

"What are you afraid of Sean?" she teased while posing on the stairs.

"I'm not supposed to be with a girl in her bed…I mean bedroom." He gulped. "And to study Chemistry properly you shouldn't be in a bedroom…because you need a table…and chairs…definitely not a bed. I've never been in a girl's room even…except my sisters' rooms."

"Trust me…I'm **not **going to let you touch me," she laughed while clamping her hand around his wrist. "Let's get busy."

**University Trauma Center  
****3:55 p.m. **

Snuggled up in bed with Nick watching Dodgeball, the movie he had requested the previous day, Carrie was bursting at the seams trying not to laugh.

Staring down his fiancée Nick goaded, "Admit it, you were dying to laugh at the scene just now."

"No, I wasn't." Taking a deep breath she denied the accusation. "I stand by my original thoughts on this film. It's low-brow locker room 'humor' and…" Her thought was interrupted by an uncontrollable belly laugh sparked by a hilarious movie moment. "Dammit!"

"Busted! I can't believe a guy getting whapped in the head with a wrench did you in, Miss High-Brow. That's laundry for a month you owe me, Darlin'."

"That's a very small price to pay for your smile." Carrie burrowed closer, relieved to see her tense man relaxing a bit. "And I didn't want you washing my clothes anyway because you'll intentionally shrink them."

"Oh yeah…especially your jeans." After another laugh Nick commented, "I think I finally know what it's like to be Greg."

"Huh?"

In a bewildered tone he explained, "I woke up lonely for a woman…then I was thrilled you showed up and kissed me. When you told me about…**her**, I plummeted to emotional rock bottom in a matter of minutes. Two hours later, planning the crisis center with you and Ron, I was on top of the world again. Then you broke the news about the arrest and I was emotionally all over the place. Now I'm snuggling with you and cracking up at a ridiculous movie. Up, down, up, down, sideways…all in half a day and I really have no idea how I'll feel an hour from now." He smiled, "I'm officially manic and out of control…I'm Greg, and for a control freak, it's a completely unnerving state."

"Are you craving hair gel and loud clothes?" she joked to keep the mood light.

"Now that you mention it…I do feel too conservatively dressed in a gray undershirt and navy pajama bottoms." He glanced over at the suitcase she had brought. "Suddenly, I want to wear a purple t-shirt with a stupid saying on it."

"Hey!" Carrie chuckled. "If you've really turned into Greg you should be able to sing. Belt something out and test the theory." One line into the tune she covered her ears. "No…you still can't sing."

"We've only heard Greggo sing when he's drunk," he stated. "Maybe I need to get tanked."

**Wildfire Country Club  
****4:01 p.m. **

Shaking his head, Greg watched his father walking towards him in the bar. "How much wine has Mom swallowed, Dad?" She had Tawny by the hand, boisterously introducing her to everyone.

"We've been here for over two hours, Son…what does that tell you?" Scott winked and slapped his boy on the back. "So, how was fooling around in your room with a girl? Was it everything you always thought it would be?"

"Better," he replied without hesitation. "And you'll be happy to know I was a very responsible teen and used a condom."

"Hmm…your mother told me you planned on stopping at second base."

"How wrong does that sound?" Greg laughed.

When he saw Becca enter the bar on Charlie's arm, Scott waved. "Hi, Sweetheart. Did my son have a chance to introduce you to the girl who captured his heart?"

"Yes." She forced a saccharine smile. "She's…" Irritatingly gorgeous and in my way of a good time. "…nice."

"Hey, Dr. Sanders," Charlie greeted, "Check out the chompers." He flashed his trademark Hollywood smile. "You really saved the day last month. If I get that starring role I auditioned for yesterday…you can be damn sure I'll be thanking you when I accept my Oscar."

"Deal." Scott shook Charlie's extended hand. "Going forward, keep your face out of the way of baseballs, and any other flying objects." Then he turned to Becca. "So, you think Tawny is nice?"

Charlie gently shoved his cohort. "What are you talking about, Becca? Nice? That girl is the catch of a lifetime. How did you reel her in, Greg?"

Keeping to their plan to almost tell the truth, Greg replied, "We met when I was taking a break from processing this nasty crime scene across the street from the restaurant where she was waitressing…The Cheesecake Factory."

"She's **a waitress**," Becca commented with glee. "Is that a summer gig while she's home from college? Because she does seem a tad on the young side. Where is she going to school? Come on, Hoj…tell us more about this Vegas mystery lady of yours."

"Actually…"

"Scott!" Lydia Atwell hurried over with a glass of Chardonnay in her hand. "When you introduced me to Tawny the other day, you didn't tell me she's Amish!"

"She's **Amish!"** Both Charlie and Becca yelled in disbelief.

Scott clamped his mouth shut so he wouldn't snip at Greg for going through with the ridiculous ruse.

"Uh…" Greg wondered why Tawny changed her mind when she had assured him only minutes earlier that she didn't want to lie. "She told you about being Amish?"

"No, your mother did. And, from the look on your little sweetheart's face, I fear she's embarrassed that Bev spilled the beans." Lydia turned and took off to listen to more details of Amish life.

"Ah…Mom told her." He nodded while looking at his dad who was thinking the same thing…_no more wine for Bev! _

Once Charlie caught his breath he said, "Shouldn't she be wearing a little bonnet and black dress instead of that sexy getup?"

"Right!" Laughing, Becca added, "Are you going to tell me they sell Manolo's at the Country Store? And why didn't you arrive in a horse and buggy if…"

"She left the order," Greg calmly explained while cursing the grapes that intoxicated his mother. "Tawny came to Vegas during her Rumspringa and never returned. After seeing movies for the first time, she fell completely in love with them, and for a while she dreamed of going to Hollywood to try her luck at acting." His face lit up when he said, "But then we met and now, those plans are off because my career is in Vegas and she..."

"Totally understandable." Charlie gave Greg a light slap on the back. "Yeah…those low-paying public servant gigs are hard to come by, and I can see why you wouldn't want to relocate to L.A. and have your bombshell girlfriend discovered by rich powerful men who would love to spoil her and show her a good time." He winked. "Just kidding ya, Sanders."

His protective nature kicking in, Scott said, "LVPD would miss Greg too much if he left. Just a couple of weeks ago, with his bare hands, he overpowered and captured a vicious child rapist and murderer. The guy is locked away in a mental hospital with the worst of the worst now thanks to my boy. His boss is nominating him for a 'bravery in the line of duty' award."

"Really?" Becca eyed her man with even stronger desire. "Wow, Hoj."

Scott focused on Charlie, the pompous man-child who believed in self-preservation above all else and chuckled, "I know how much you enjoy a beautiful blonde on your arm, but if you have any thoughts of trying to steal Tawny away from Greg, you better make other plans. When Greg was through with the six foot-three, two hundred and eighty pound psycho killer, the bastard's face was a wreck…permanently disfigured actually."

Becca had to fight the urge not to jump her man in front of the crowd.

"Uh…" Charlie's gaze moved from Mr. Sanders to Greg and back again.

Scott winked. "Using your words…just kidding ya!" Then he clarified, "Not about what Greg did to the psycho killer's face...that's the gory truth, but about you having ideas about putting the moves on Tawny." He tossed his arm around the boy's shoulders. "I know you're a much more respectable man than that. Now, let me buy you a drink because you look a little tense." As he walked him up to the bar Scott whispered, "CSIs go through some really intense physical and firearms training. They also acquire a lot of knowledge…like how to dispose of a body without leaving a stitch of evidence. It's fascinating stuff."

Finally having an opportunity to speak with Becca alone, Greg took her hand and led her to the corner of the room. "I have to ask…what exactly were you hoping to accomplish by telling Tawny I left my boxers at your place?"

"I was making sure your weekend playmate understood that you have someone else in your life…" Stepping closer she placed her palms on his chest and spoke softly. "…someone who isn't willing to go quietly because, I finally know that you're the perfect man for me, Hoj."

"The thing is…" He removed her hands. "…your epiphany came too late…it's not based on true feelings of attraction…and it's a moot point. I'm not the perfect man for you, I'm just the man you can't have and that's frustrating you because I've always been your go-to guy. Now that I've been in a relationship with…"

"You expect me to believe it's a **relationship, **not a fling?"

"Yes…it's serious."

"It's **serious**? Give me a break." Leaning against the wall she snipped, "Only a few nights ago you were groaning from having my hand in your pants while you shoved your tongue down my throat and felt me up."

"You know what that was about," he countered, once again feeling ridiculous for taking his point as far as he had. "Here's why Tawny wasn't upset when you told her about the boxers…she's the one who urged me to go see you that night."

"You expect me to believe a woman would send her man into the arms of the woman he lusted after for a decade?" She cracked up at the insane concept. "Now I know she's really Amish. Only a sheltered farm girl could be that naïve."

"She didn't do it because she's naïve," he replied with an edge in his voice. "When we discussed your IM…"

"You showed her my IM!" Livid didn't begin to describe her reaction. "I was baring my soul to you, talking about my divorce, telling you I loved you, and you read it to **her**! That was supposed to be for your eyes only!"

"We live together…she was at the computer when it came through." He left out the fact that he wasn't.

"You **live **with her?" The nightmare wouldn't stop unfolding. "In your apartment?"

"No, we have our own place," he proudly clarified. "A townhouse."

"This is insanity." Becca laughed in his face. "You left her at home and came to San Marino to get it on with me?"

"We have a very open and honest relationship. We talked it through and she didn't want me to be with her if there was a chance I was still in love with you. "

"You mean that asinine '_if you set a butterfly free and it comes back, it's yours'_ crap!" Incensed she snapped, "When you flew back to her did you tell her we were a breath away from making love when you put on the brakes? Or did you lie and tell her we shared one tender kiss in the driveway?"

Lowering his head he admitted, "I never expected to get so pissed off and let things get that carried away. That's why I apologized to you the other day. I didn't go there planning to teach you a lesson. Look…Tawny was right…I had a lot of pent up emotion over you."

"I know you do." Forgetting her animosity, she grabbed his hand. "I felt it that night. You can't fake that kind of passion. You're still in love with me and now I'm in love with you. We're finally in the same place at the same time." Bringing her palm to his cheek she waited for him to look at her. "Come on, Hoj…it's time to let the wrong girl down gently, so you can move ahead with the right one."

"You're right…you're absolutely right." Placing his hand over hers he removed it from his face, holding it tight. "There are so many great things about you Becca…unfortunately you rarely show them to anyone but me. And in spite of the fact that you didn't return my affection all those years, you gave me so much…you made sure I didn't get harassed at school, you taught me how to dance and play golf, you got me into every happening party when I wouldn't have stood a chance in hell on my own, and we shared a hell of a lot of laughs. We had some really** great** times…" His voice cracked. "…but, we had some really bad times too…actually that was just me, every time you broke my heart."

"Hoj…this is a new start." She assured him with a smile. "That's water under the bridge and I promise to make up for..."

"I'm sorry…" After a deep breath he confidently said, "I'm not in love with you, Becca. I'm in love with Tawny. And now that I know what it** really** feels like to be in love…I realize I was never in love with you at all…I was infatuated…I was in awe of you…obsessed even…but not in love." Pulling her in for a hug he whispered, "But don't worry, there's someone out there for you…someone much better than me…just like you always thought." After a quick kiss to her cheek he softly said, "I hope that was gentle enough."

From across the room Bev yelled, "Greg! We need you for a family photo over here!"

Swallowing his emotions he pointed. "I have to…"

Pursing her lips she nodded.

As he turned, Greg forced some humor. "Coming, Mother Dear!"

Hidden behind a decorative tree in the corner of the bar, Becca watched him slip into Tawny's arms. "It may have been gentle, but it still hurts like hell."

**Jacqueline's Patio Café - Chicago  
****4:17 p.m. **

When Drew held out her chair, Melissa smiled and took a seat. "Thank you."

"What made you pick this place?" he asked, slipping into his chair. "We've never come here before."

She glanced around the cheery outdoor setting. "It's out in the open and full of fresh air…just like our skeletons are now and our marriage needs to be."

"So, I take it you did all your required reading," he commented while sitting back and admiring her beauty as well as her brain.

"You know your mother scares the living hell out of me when she gets serious. I read all six with time to spare." Brushing an errant strand of hair from her face she confessed, "I've only had a couple hours sleep because I was up all night reading…and thinking."

"You wouldn't know it by lookin' at you."

"I need you to stop that," she stated while glancing down and smoothing a white cloth napkin over her lap. "Stop making comments about how I look. This is difficult enough without me being reminded that you're making judgments about my appearance."

"I'm sorry. I thought since it was positive…"

"It's just…"

The waitress interrupted. "Welcome to Jacqueline's. My name is Tori. What can I get you folks to drink?"

Drew looked to his wife. "You up for a nice bottle of wine?"

Tense as hell, she nodded. "Please."

**University Trauma Center  
****4:17 p.m. **

"Thank you," Grissom said to the male nurse who pointed him to Nick's door.

Since the door was ajar, Grissom could hear Nick and Carrie laughing hysterically. "May I come in?" he asked, not knowing exactly what was causing the laughter.

Thinking it was hospital personnel, Carrie yelled, "Yes, you may!"

Opening the door fully, Grissom stepped into the room. "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to…uh…"

"Gris!" Embarrassed, Nick scooted up in bed.

"Is this a bad time?" Grissom asked while trying not to stare at the couple dressed in capes, scarves and holding magic wands. "You said it was okay to come in so…and I never thought you'd be role playing when…"

"No…" Nick quickly removed his fake Harry Potter glasses and said, "We were just…"

"Is that a lightening bolt on your forehead?" Grissom stepped closer.

Nick quickly rubbed off the symbol his fiancée had drawn with her eyeliner.

When Carrie finally stopped laughing she explained, "We're watching the first Harry Potter movie. You know…day four cooped up in the hospital…we're getting a little stir crazy. His mom bought these outfits for us as a joke and…this isn't sexual hijinx." She felt compelled to tell the curious guest, "We were trying to be goofy…we asked ourselves what would Greg and Tawny would do to pass the time if they couldn't have sex?"

"Roxie!" Nick covered his face. "I don't know what's worse…you saying out loud that I was trying to be Sanders or you discussing my sex life with Grissom."

Stepping out of bed Carrie removed her cape and Gryffindor scarf. "How about I let the two of you visit while I step out and call Sara to see how she's handling her solo shopping trip?" As a joke she relinquished her magic wand to Grissom. "Careful…it's really powerful."

"Lawyers," he huffed when Carrie left the room. Copping a paternal tone he smiled at the patient and remarked, "Who needs magic when there's science? Right, Nicky?"

Returning the smile Nick agreed, "Damn straight."

Sitting in a guest chair and tossed the wand on the bed. "Sorry I didn't come to check on you sooner. I had Sara fill me in but, I should have made time."

Happy to hear the twinge of regret in his voice Nick grinned, "Hell…someone had to keep up the good work at the lab with Greggo and me sidelined."

"I have a feeling the two of you will return better than ever." Humoring the patient, he added, "Not that you had much room left for improvement, but Greg…"

They shared a laugh and then Nick said, "I'm really glad you stopped by, Gris."

The emotion in Nick's eyes caught Grissom's and out of the blue and genuine guilt for not visiting sooner surfaced. "You look good…bruises are healing. How are you doing on the inside?"

"We just got my latest ultrasound results thirty minutes ago and they were great," he boasted. "My spleen is healing. I definitely get to go home tomorrow." Grinning he added, "I can't wait for some uninterrupted sleep in my own bed. I don't get how you're supposed to rest in the hospital but these people keep coming in here pokin' you every hour."

"I remember that from when I had surgery," he replied without thinking.

"When did you have surgery, Gris?"

"Oh…" After shifting in his chair Grissom deflected, "I had my tonsils out as a kid."

"Ah."

"But, Nicky…when I asked how you were doing on the inside I wasn't referring to your spleen…although I'm glad to know it's healing. How are you coping with everything that happened with your brother?"

"Oh…you're asking me how I feel **emotionally**?" Nick chuckled. "I'm not used to that. You and I…we don't get up close and personal. Hell...you never even told me your mother's name was the same as mine."

"Yeah…I know. Honestly…I'm feeling incredibly invasive, but my wife is on my case about my people skills, so bear with me." He shrugged and slipped a little lower in the chair. "I've messed up a few times lately…like when I snapped at Carrie over withholding evidence in the middle of her nervous breakdown while you were in the ICU."

"Yeah…I heard all about that from Sara, my sister Barbara, my dad and my mom….they all had something **special** to say about you on the matter." Watching his mentor squirm Nick grinned, "Carrie though…she felt guilty so, she's not holding a grudge, and I can't pop you over it because I don't do that sort of thing any more." He flashed his rubberband. "It's against my therapist's orders and my fiancée will call off the wedding if I lose my cool again." On a day like today, he couldn't imagine a worse fate than Carrie disappearing. "But to answer your question…we have some family stuff to work out but, don't let the Harry Potter garb fool you…I'm mentally fine…yeah…I'm great…very strong." Fronting, he pointed to the file Grissom was holding. "Let's talk about what you have there."

"Oh." He rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid I started a war and you're a casualty of it." Grimacing, he explained, "You know I've always been at odds with a certain pushy blonde female CSI." Opening the file he pointed to a handwritten note attached to the file and gave him a moment to read it.

_Grissom –_

_Mr. Stokes forgot to sign and date the final report. I'm quite surprised because over the last eighteen months, I've triple checked every report he's written and they have all been error-free and they've also been more detailed than reports from any other LVPD CSI. I was shocked to find this error!_

_- Sofia Curtis, Unbiased Quality Control Officer_

Once Nick was done Grissom continued, "We're in the middle of a pissing contest over who is least biased and I happened to bring up your association with her and wondered, out loud, if during your…whatever it was…she ever cut you some slack or looked the other way."

"Thanks for dragging me into your grudge match." Groaning, Nick took the pen Grissom was extending to sign and date the report. "Now that I know Sofia isn't hoping I'll step out in front of a bus, I guess I let my guard down. For eighteen months I took anal-retentive to an extreme because I knew she was dying to crucify me."

"They say you learn something new every day…here I thought you were a perfectionist." Grissom grabbed the file and laughed, "But, now I know that the hard work that led to your promotion is really due to the fact you were afraid of your 'Ex-whatever she was to you'…and please don't fill in that blank."

**Sonny's Cabaret - Vegas  
****4:25 p.m. **

When Tony Mantello, a forty-six year old man with thinning hair but a body a twenty year old would be proud of, walked into the strip joint he took a moment to soak up the atmosphere, particularly the buxom dancers grinding against shiny gold poles throughout the club. After getting his kicks, he returned to work mode and headed for the bar. "Bottle of Bud," he ordered as he pulled out a stool. And when he was sure he had the bartender's eye he slapped a hundred dollar bill on the counter and asked, "Wanna keep the change?"

"Depends on the string attached," Carlos warily replied while wiping his damp hands on a towel.

"I'd like some information."

"Are you a cop?"

"Retired detective…moved here from Brooklyn a few years ago." After taking a swig of the icy brew he said, "Now I offer my services to the private sector."

Carlos gripped the edge of the bar and stared the guy down. "What kind of information?"

Reaching into his jacket pocket Tony produced a photocopy of an engagement notice. "The guy in the picture…I was told he's a patron."

After pocketing the c-note Carlos answered, "That's Slick Nick. Yeah, he used to come in once a week, sometimes twice, but he hasn't been in here for well over a year." Laughing he pointed to the woman he was cuddling in the photo. "She don't look like his type and she definitely don't look like the chicks who come to Sonny's to get tanked and watch the dancers."

Tony raised his longneck and sipped. "He ever do anything illegal when he was in here?"

"Are you kidding?" Tony leaned against the back wall. "He's LVPD. He drank like a fish but always caught a cab. No drugs. Never got bounced. Never started shit with anyone. This is a locals club…he was a local and nobody had a problem with him because he was a fun guy."

Afraid that this was what he'd hear, since he heard the same 'he's a great guy who never caused problems' everywhere else he'd been, Tony polished off his beer and stood. "Thanks for your time."

"Thanks for your money." Carlos smiled. "Hey! Don't you want your picture?" He held it up just as one of their dancers, Tisha, strolled up to the bar complaining and craving a pre-shift cocktail.

"You know I'm strapped for cash when I volunteer to work the five." Glancing at the photo Tisha burst out laughing. "Slick Nick got engaged! I guess that explains why he stopped coming…in here to see me. Hmm…that ain't Sofia in the picture. Looks like he traded in his naughty girl for a priss."

Tony backed up a few paces. "You know Nick Stokes?"

Tisha flicked her rich red hair off her shoulders and copped an attitude. "Yeah, but I don't know you."

When Carlos saw the guy pulling a fifty from his wallet he piped up. "Tisha, Baby…he paid me a hundred so don't take nothin' less."

Tony smirked and forked over two fiftys. "You better know something good."

Stuffing the money in her purse Tisha grinned. "I can tell you he has a birthmark where the sun don't shine and much, much more." Taking a seat at the bar she tossed her purse on the counter. "Buy me a cocktail, Handsome, and we'll gossip."

**Wildfire Country Club  
****4:30 p.m. **

On the club's East patio, which overlooked the tennis courts, everyone was in high spirits as the champagne flowed…everyone except Becca, though she was faking it well, even going so far as to buy a few bottles of bubbly to fuel the celebration.

Tawny and Greg sat happily together at a table with his parents as well as Robbie and Joyce, who were sans baby courtesy of doting grandparents. At the next table were Lydia Atwell and her husband Richard; Drake Evans, Scott's best friend; and then a dangerous trio…Charlie, Brian and Becca.

Having accepted the loss of her Hoj, Becca was determined to move on…with her plan to eliminate Tawny from the picture and win back her man. Of course Greg was in love with the girl she mused, while watching them together…she was beautiful and charming but most of all…she showered him with attention and affection, thrilling him and making him feel like a million bucks. But as far as being long-term marriage material, Becca knew the uneducated gold digging farm girl was woefully inappropriate to be Mrs. Gregory Hojem Sanders. Becca knew that eventually he would realize that. However, since she didn't have time to wait for him to get sick of boinking the vapid blonde, she sought to expedite his epiphany.

Laughing to herself, Becca was certain the poser didn't even know that Greg was pitifully one of the only guys at the club without a trust fund. It wasn't that his family was without the means. On the contrary, while it was true that Scott was from a blue-collar family and had gone to school on scholarship and loans while working part-time jobs, Bev's father had struck it rich in the market. But the controlling woman kept all of her father's riches locked away because if Greggy had some of it in his own account, he wouldn't need his mommy to play savior. "Tell me about this townhouse you bought, Hoj," she sweetly asked, moving her chair next to him. "I'm so happy for you that you finally got out of your apartment."

"We're only renting it," he corrected. Taking Tawny's hand he gave it a squeeze. "But we have plans for something else in the future."

Drake Evans raised his glass of merlot and remarked, "The market in Vegas is through the roof. Too bad you didn't buy ten years ago."

Becca gave a giggle. "Ten years ago Hoj and I were at Stanford and settling down was the last thing on his mind. He had big plans back then like when…"

"He still does," Tawny interjected. "As a matter of fact, he just had his first article published." Leaning over she pecked his cheek. "I'm really proud of him. The journal's publisher is already hounding him for more material and corporate headhunters are calling left and right to offer him positions…" Snuggling up to her man she boasted, "But he's right where he needs to be…helping make the world a safer place and bringing criminals to justice. I love him for that."

As Tawny waxed on about Greg's crime solving ability and Greg sat there basking in her adoration, Becca entertained thoughts of committing a crime or two of her own. "Tawny, Honey…we hear about Hoj all the time from Bev." _Ad nauseum! _"But what we really want to do is get to know **you**. It's obvious that you and Hoj are serious and therefore we'll be seeing you around for years to come." _Fat chance! If I have my way you'll be running from the party tonight like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight._ "Tell us about school life on the farm. Is it true that the Amish attend school in those tiny little houses and only until the eighth grade?"

Robbie Schwartz grabbed his wife's hand under the table and squeezed. He knew exactly what Becca was doing and it took all his strength not to scream because he had watched her manipulate Greg countless times in the past and enough was enough.

"It's true!" Tawny answered in a cheery tone. "We focus on the basics very intensely."

Becca looked over at Greg. "What a wild combination…a Phi Betta Kappa with a Masters and a girl with an eighth grade education."

Joyce Schwartz could no longer bite her tongue. "After spending time with Tawny I can assure you that her lack of an Ivy League education doesn't diminish her ability to hold an intellectual conversation. One of the reasons Tawny didn't return to the Amish culture was her desire to further her education. First she earned her GED and now she's in community college making fantastic marks. In her spare time she immerses herself in all sorts of learning experiences. Since I graduated from** Princeton** Summa Cum Laude, I think if **I** can say I never felt for a moment that Tawny was my intellectual inferior, it's safe to say…she's not yours." Her jaw clenched as she barked at Becca, "While she's damn pretty, she's also pretty damn smart." Then she picked up her wine glass and downed it.

"Thanks, Joyce." Tawny felt her eyes glassing up from the sentiment, but held her emotions in check since Becca would thrive on her tears.

Before Becca could lie, denying her comment was meant to be derogatory, Charlie, in the interest of sucking up to Greg 'I can kill you and get away with it' Sanders, laughed in her direction. "You know Joyce has you trumped, Becks. You have an un-ivied Stanford education and the only honors you got there were written on the walls of the men's locker room."

Tawny had a renewed respect for Charlie as the rest of the crowd sat quietly waiting for the scathing retort they were certain was coming. A few seconds later, Becca didn't disappoint.

"Pretty hilarious thing coming from a guy who found himself running down the beach naked in Malibu when some pissed off daddy busted him having sex and licking tequila off his eighteen year old daughter's newly silicone-enhanced breasts while they were both tweaked on X and doin' it in front of six other people." Her eyes landed on Tawny's chest. "Charlie has an augmentation fetish."

Brian laughed after choking on his martini. "Careful now…Tawny is an Amish girl from Kansas who doesn't even booze. Let's not scare her off with tales of wild California parties."

And in that moment, Becca and Tawny locked eyes.

Staring at the interloper, Becca grinned. _What a great idea…I'll scare you off at the party tonight. First, I'll make sure you're good and freaked out. Then, I'll get Hoj wasted and acting like you've never seen him before. Lastly, when his guard is down, I'll make sure you see us in a red hot lip lock proving that 'your butterfly' may have flown home to you but, he's still willing to flutter my way if given a chance. After that revelation…it's back to the farm for you._

Returning the manipulative bitch's fake smile, Tawny thought…_you're standing there thinking I'm a prude who will be shocked at that party. HA! I could work that party in my sleep, Honey._ "What should I wear to the party tonight, Becca? Because I have a confession…what I'm wearing now is a bit risqué for me. None of this stuff belongs to me, it's all borrowed from Greg's co-worker's fiancée, Carrie…she's a real party animal. Will I stand out if I don't dress trendy?"

"Just be yourself, Tawny," Becca comforted. "You're so beautiful I'm sure even a paper sack looks fab on you."

Tawny saw Bev, Scott, Greg, Robbie and Joyce smile and prodded on. "Okay then…I'll just wear some nice jeans and a long sleeve blouse." _Yeah…have that image in your head, so when I show up looking like 'the IT girl' wearing the tightest, tiniest dress and working the room like nobody's business, you'll be incredibly pissed off…or should I say, even **more** incredibly pissed off than you are right now!_ "I can't wait. Will there be dancing?"

Brian choked on his cocktail. "Yeah…there will be some dancing." _Every hump and lump will be grinding in one non-stop bump, Baby and my night will be sweet if I accidentally get to brush up against you._

Tawny giggled in Greg's direction and continued her Oscar-worthy acting performance. "Maybe you can teach me some moves at home before we go to the party?"

"Sure, Honey." Greg kissed his sweetheart on the cheek. "But I'm sure these guys will tell you…I stink." _Of course, they don't know you've taught me how to bust a move since the last time they saw me on the floor. _"How about we watch MTV for a little while later and practice together?"

Tawny covered her mouth in shock. "But some of those songs have such obscene lyrics." She produced a blush. "But okay…just this one time I'll make an exception."

**Celine's**** House  
****4:41 p.m. **

Looking at the geeky boy sitting panicked on the edge of her bed Celine said, "I've never done this sort of thing with a boy before, only girls." Sizing him up she sighed, "But…there's a first time for everything."

"Uh…what are you going to do to me?" Sean inquired in a shaky voice as he wiped his sweat-drenched palms on his khaki trousers. .

"I'm going to make you **hot**!" Rushing over to her CD rack, Celine selected the proper music for the occasion. "And you're going to love it and feel great."

Remembering his uncle's advice regarding the ways to use his mouth, Sean yelled, "No! I don't want a BJ!"

Celine burst out laughing. "As if!"

Sean relaxed ever so slightly. "So you're not going to…" He pointed at his lap.

"Uh…no. I've never done that and I'm certainly not going to start with **you**. I'm giving you a makeover, not a BJ…I'm not even giving you a kiss on the cheek." Cracking up, Celine grabbed her cell. "While I gather the necessary resources, I want you to listen to one of my favorite songs. It's called Popular. It's from the musical Wicked…it's the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. She wasn't born wicked you know…she became that way."

"Really?" His curiosity was peeked.

"Listen carefully to the song and you'll know exactly what I'm going to do to you."

"Ah…" Sean swallowed hard, happy that he was only going to have his fashion sense assaulted and not his private parts. "Okay." While his 'friend' was on the phone he settled down and began listening to the screechy girl singing the showtune blasting through the stereo speakers."You really think you can make me popular? I'd settle for just not getting pounded." Sean thought of his brother's hip look and decided it wouldn't be so bad to be a little more with it. After all, looking different on the outside wouldn't change who he was on the inside. And maybe if he fit in…he wouldn't get picked on. "Okay." He nodded. "I'll let you give me a makeover."

Celine nodded. _As if you had a choice. _"When I get through with you, you'll look like a million bucks!"

**The Mandalay Bay  
****4:55 p.m.. **

As Gil shut the door to the guest suite he called out, "Honey? I can't wait to see how you look in your new dress." He tossed his keys on the dresser and kicked off his shoes.

"I'm in the bathroom getting ready to polish my **skanky** toes," Sara griped, still sour from strangers judging her unpolished piggies.

"Skanky toes?" Gil stood in the doorway staring at his wife in her favorite pink cashmere robe. "Your toes are** not** skanky. I love your toes…all ten of them, but I'm especially fond of your second toes. I hope it's okay that I'm playing favorites with your appendages."

Working up a pout she slipped her arms around her husband's waist. "The mean girls in the dressing room called my unpolished toes skanky when they saw me trying on my new dress."

Framing her face with his hands Gil advised, "Don't you know by now that most of the time people are mean because they feel threatened?" After grazing her smile with his lips he moved on to whisper in her ear. "Obviously, those women were intimidated by your beauty in your new dress…" He snatched her lobe between his teeth for a little nibble. "…as I'm sure I'll be when I see it on you later."

"Wow…" Melting from his touch she broke into an easy laugh. "I should force you to spend time with Nick more often. You returned extra smooooooth."

Backing away he wiggled his brows. "And I think my quirkiness is rubbing off on him because when I got there…he was dressed like Harry Potter, complete with a penciled-in lightning bolt on his forehead."

"Well, we all know if Carrie asks him to do something, he doesn't say no," she quipped. "That reminds me though…I want to have a Halloween Party. I've always wanted to have one…I just never had enough friends to invite to one."

Without hesitation Gil announced, "I want to go as a bug-infested corpse. I did that once in college when I worked in the lab and everyone had to come in costume. It was great, I…"

"…scared off women all the way through grad school I'm sure."

"But will I scare you off?" He took the bottle of polish from her hands. "Or are you a strong enough woman to accompany a buggy corpse to a party?"

"I'll accompany you," she laughed. "But don't expect to get lucky because I'm not into necrophilia."

Craftily tackling her against the sheets he reasoned, "Then I'll be sure to get lucky,** before** the party. Speaking of which…"

"What has you so randy at five p.m?"

Shucking his shirt Gil informed his wife, "Nick can't have sex for weeks."

As she gaped at her disrobing man Sara guffawed, "Did he ask you to go home and have it for him?"

"No." He landed beside her and snuggled against the softness of her robe. "For the first time in history, I'll be able to claim I saw more action in a month than Slick." With that he abruptly headed due south.

"You usually finesse that a little better," Sara blurted. "Sorry…"

"Different destination."

"Oh." She smiled when he came to rest at her feet.

"I wanted to assure you that I love your toes."

Watching him cradle her right foot and bestow a juicy kiss on its big toe she suddenly burst out laughing.

"Ticklish?" Gil asked in surprise. "It's not like I haven't touched your feet before."

In stitches she answered, "But you haven't kissed them since the Greg and Nick toe sucking joke and when I saw you do that it popped into my head and now I'm just…squicked."

"I love it." Gil beamed with delight.

"The slash imagery?"

"No…" He rolled on his back laughing. "That your joke on me backfired, and robbed you of your own toe sucking-related pleasure."

"Try again." She wiggled her tootsies. "I can block it." This time just seeing him going in for a taste got to her. "Dammit!"

"How about this?" Gil grabbed the bottle of polish from where it landed. "I'll paint them. I've read in magazines that some women find that highly erotic."

"Yeah…when guys did that for me in college I always got hot." When she saw him freeze up Sara laughed, "Gotcha! Never happened."

"You can paint your own toes, Mrs. Grissom." Tossing the bottle he pounced on his wife. "I'll be too tired after I'm through here."

"Don't be too long," she warned while shivering from his well-placed kisses. "We need to be downstairs at six and you don't want to be late for your father's wedding because you were fooling around with a girl in your room."

**Wildfire Country Club  
****5:16 p.m. **

After dragging Tawny into the cabana his parents had rented for the entire weekend, Greg tugged the flaps down for privacy. "Just five minutes alone is all I need to regroup." In a flash he had her in his arms.

"Yes!" In his ear Tawny whispered, "Five minutes of not being raised Amish. It's really hard to keep up the ruse…much harder than I thought."

Snuggling her Greg apologized, "I'm really sorry my lush mother blurted it."

"Are you kidding?" she scoffed. "Becca would have had a field day with my GED otherwise."

"I'm so sorry." Cupping Tawny's face he placed a tender kiss on her lips. "While you were with my mom earlier I spoke with Becca and told her I loved you and that there wasn't a chance I'd change my mind. I let her down gently but…I get the sense that she's a little jealous."

"A **little**?" Tawny prodded.

Gripping his hair Greg admitted, "I'm trying not to hurt her while protecting you. I already confused her the other night by getting naked with her and then telling her off. I don't want to hurt her because she did so much to protect me…and you know how important that was to me considering what I had gone through at my old school. I still care about her…just not romantically…and I feel sorry for her. This side she's showing is her at her worst. I keep hoping she'll get it out of her system and then…no…that's a cop out. I'll talk to her again. It's just..." After a labored sigh he confessed, "I never had to deliver that kind of message to a girl before and it's hard…especially when it's someone you've known half your life and she's still hurting from a divorce that really shook her up. I'm not a player…I'm not good at cutting a woman loose or being an ass about it even if she deserves it."

"Aww Chuckles." She stroked his cheek. "That's the sensitive, compassionate man I love talking." Taking a moment she stole a kiss. "Don't say anything to her. We know no matter what she says or does it isn't going to impact our relationship. Honestly, I think she'll only stop when she finally gets smacked over the head with the reality that there's not a chance in hell you'll leave me."

"I think I know exactly when that moment will be too."

"When she sees the ring on my finger?" she guessed through a sunny smile.

"No." He shook his head. "Becca knows first hand that engagement is an easy commitment to break. She was engaged to someone else before marrying Peter and the jerk called it off a month before the wedding."

"Oh."

Smiling, he placed his palm on Tawny's womb. "It will be when she finds out you're having my babies…" Then he thought of the proposal and added a line from the song, "That's when she'll realize…I will love you until the end of time."

Jokingly she said, "Maybe it would help if you just suddenly belted out that song to me in front of her."

"Okay…" He gulped down the urge to release a joyful scream. "…if I find the right moment, I promise I'll go for it."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

I hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Sean is getting a makeover and as September pointed out in the guestbook…he'll have it when he goes to drop off Lindsay's homework. ;-) For anyone worried that Sean is being completely changed, remember, it's still earlier in the game and he's just absorbing everything like a sponge (Greg!) and Celine, in her own way, is trying to 'help' him have an easier time at prep school (Becca!). (Note: that scene was edited from its originaly version to remove song lyrics and some dialogue to conform to the standards of this forum. )

Sara will be hosting that Halloween party.

Grissom and Nick…getting closer while protecting their secrets from each other by lying. At least Grissom fessed up as to why Sofia was checking Nick's work.

For the first time in his life, Greg had to let a girl down gently. He's never been on the giving end of that message and it was hard. Tawny understands that there is a lot of history between Greg and Becca and she knows that Becca kept him safe at the new school after his suicide attempt. Tawny isn't being a bitch about it and expecting Greg to tell off Becca in front of everyone, but rather she's continuing to manage the situation while letting Greg move at his own pace. She knows that Becca won't win and in the end the truth will be apparent even to the Queen of Denial.

**Thanks** to Misty J and Rojajifor your reviews :-)

**Next Chapter ****Posting:** Late Wednesday/Early Thursday

**Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts,  
****Maggs**


	27. Chapter 27

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 27**

**September 2, 2005  
****Wildfire Country Club  
****5:31 p.m. **

While Greg returned to the crowd on the East patio, Tawny stepped about fifty yards away and frantically punched numbers into her cellphone. "Thank god you answered! I'm **so** in need of a little honest girl talk with a true friend. I've been doing nothing but fronting here. I'm exhausted from being Amish…and before you yell at me about that…that was Bev's doing…she's faced. I wasn't going to go through with it. Wow, I really need to let off some steam. Sorry…how rude…is this a good time?" She giggled, "You're not sponge bathing Slick, are you?"

"Ha! No, it's perfect timing…Nicky just fell asleep…he had an exhausting day." Sighing, Carrie assured her, "Trust me…I could use a little girl talk myself, girlfriend. I can also empathize when it comes to sparing your already stressed-out man some grief when he's mentally tapped."

"Thanks."

"So, how is the infamous Becca?"

"Ugh!" Tawny glanced over just in time to see the witch flicking her hair off her shoulder and cackling. "Bitch does not begin to describe her!"

"Speaking of descriptions…tell me about her shoes."

Appreciating the joke, Tawny laughed into the phone. "I knew you'd want to know so I asked her. They're Jimmy Choo Crystal Ring Slides."

"Ooh! I just saw those in a magazine the other day and loved them. In the country club world, they're a formidable opponent to my Manolo Embellished Metallic Slides."

"Trust me…your Manolos have been going toe to toe with Becca's Choos all afternoon." Strolling on the sidewalk along the perfectly manicured club grounds Tawny giggled, "You'll love this…I told the manipulative wench that I've retained many of my Amish sensibilities and wasn't used to dressing this sexy…that I borrowed everything from my **wild** friend Carrie."

"Ha!" After a good laugh she said, "If she only knew those shoes have never been out of my closet."

"Sweetie…when Slick recovers, promise me you'll have sex with your Manolos on. I guarantee you'll both get a rush."

"Oh my gosh…tell me no one heard you say that! Especially Greg!"

"No one is anywhere near me…they're all off drinking, golfing or sun worshipping…some are doing all three simultaneously. This place is unbelievable." She glanced around just to make sure no one was coming. "Speaking of sex…" Tawny giggled, "I promised Greg I'd let him drive the peg tonight when we're at this big party, because he's** still** bugged by what I said about Slick's skills in our girl chat! Can you believe that's** still** working on him!"

"Aww…poor Chuckles. Don't worry, under the safety of the sister rule, I'll say that Nicky has insecurities too."

"Yeah, well…" Glaring at Becca from afar, Tawny snipped, "…I know exactly where Greg's insecurities originated….that she-devil messed with **both** his heads for years!" Shaking off her animosity she sighed, "Unlike** her**, I'm all about making Chuckles feel better about himself so, he'll get to cross the peg off his inferiority complex list tonight."

"If only my shoes could talk," Carrie teased. "Kidding…I really don't want to eavesdrop. You know how I felt about that position...even though it was executed by a seasoned professional….blech!"

"Between you and me…I predict it will be the first time I ever fake it with Chuckles."

"Aren't you afraid he'll figure it out?" she asked in a nervous whisper. "Because if he figures out you're faking, don't you think he'll be even more insecure?"

"Are you kidding? He's not going to figure it out. The only way guys ever figure it out is if you tell them." Once again Tawny giggled, "I take it you've never had a reason to pull the wool over Slick's eyes."

"Are you kidding? Why would I fake it? I only started having them this year!"

Tawny sought clarification, "You mean **during**."

"I mean **ever**." After a giggle she whispered into the phone, "My first one was the first night I spent with Nicky. I never…you know…M'd."

"Were you raised Amish?" Stunned by the latest revelation, Tawny clutched her head. "How does that work exactly? So, there you were in bed and suddenly you're like…oh, my goodness what's happening? Seriously… my first was self-induced, so I knew it was coming."

"Ha! I see you haven't lost your sense of humor." After a laugh Carrie said, "I can't believe I'm telling you this…"

Tawny strolled further down the path, "Ooh! That means it's going to be good."

The cringe on her face came through in her voice. "No…I can't…you're going to laugh at me."

"Isn't that the point here? I **need **a laugh!" Watching Becca flounce in front of Greg she sighed, "Think of it as charity work. You'll be helping ease the tension of the waiting-to-get-engaged-girl, who has to hang out with the Wicked Witch of the West because Chuckles is a sweetheart who doesn't have it in him to rip her to shreds. Pleeease…a naïve Carrie story is just what I need to put a smile on my face. And I don't laugh **at **you…you're always laughing too so, I'm laughing **with **you."

"Okay…okay." After a sigh of resignation, Carrie started her tale, "While Nicky and I had spoken at length about our sexual histories prior to making love the first time, I neglected to mention that I had never…O'd. So, there we are in bed for who knows how long, when I finally figure out Nicky has been waiting for me to O…or at least give him a clue that I was on my way to O'ing."

_Breathing through his latest urge to bring things to a close, Nick murmured in Carrie's ear, "I need another minute here, Darlin'." _

_"No problem, you can go all night if you like…mmm…you won't hear me complaining." Giddy from the loving Carrie released a blissful sigh. "I couldn't be more satisfied." _

_"Oh…" Smiling brightly, Nick ran his fingers through her hair and tenderly prompted his new lover, "It's our first time and we don't know each other's styles...noise is fine with me, Darlin'. You don't have to be shy next time. I'd love to hear you…" _

_"Oh!" Grabbing his shoulders Carrie rambled, "You've been waiting for me to…um..." _

Grinning from ear to ear, Tawny took a seat on a bench. "How many times had he already slowed things down waiting for you?"

"Three."

She covered her mouth to stifle the laugh.

"You're already laughing?"

"Yeah," Tawny immediately confessed. "I can just imagine poor Slick…after all that celibacy he's trying to hold out, but you're not giving him any signs, which of course is terrorizing his ego. He probably thought it had been so long since he got a woman hot, he was rusty. What did you say next? I know it has to be good."

_After chewing on her lip for a moment Carrie shyly admitted, "I didn't...but, don't wait for me…because I um... don't..." _

_"Darlin'…" While trailing kisses down her neck Nick sweetly yet confidently replied, "Just because you haven't during past experiences, doesn't mean you won't with me. We'll change things up a little and if that doesn't work for you, all you have to do is tell me and I'll…"_

_"No…no…it's not you…or something you're not doing," she corrected while covering her eyes with her palm. "I mean I've never...I don't even know how to..." _

"Oh!" On the bench, Tawny sat shaking with laughter. "I bet he never saw that coming."

_Jolting up Nick gasped, "When you say you've never…" _

_"It's okay! Really! It's not something I…I mean I'm sure it's fun but, I don't feel like I'm missing out…" Now both her hands covered her face. "I'm fine…really…I was having a great time." _

**_"Ever_**_?"__ He continued gaping. "You mean…not even alone?" _

"Oh, man…" Suddenly every ounce of tension was gone from Tawny's body. "I can see his expression. Let me guess…after he heard that, he was determined to show you what you were missing. Ha! Realizing it would be a bit of a challenge to have it happen **during**, since you didn't even know what you were aiming for, I bet he wrapped things up quickly so he could focus on the task **at hand**."

"Yeah..." Carrie chuckled at the memory, "I was totally tense and didn't really want to but, he was being so sweet about it I decided to give it a try. That decision definitely has a spot on the 'Best Decisions I've Made in My Life' list."

"You're really too adorable sometimes…you're a lot like Chuckles that way." She checked the status of her man and saw he was laughing with the gang and Becca had her talons wrapped around his arm. "I'm not ready to rejoin the group yet…keep talking, Sis."

"Well…I knew I was on the brink of something great but, I was way too nervous to let loose. I kept over-thinking it. You know…being a sexually inhibited perfectionist and considering my well-versed audience, I knew he'd know if I was doing it wrong."

"Yep!" Tawny held her stomach which was sore from laughing. "I can** totally** see you going through that thought process."

"Apparently Nicky could too." In a whimsical voice Carrie said, "He whispered in my ear…_Just relax and let it happen, Sweetheart. You can't possibly do it wrong…trust me._ Seconds later I was over the edge."

"Aww." Tawny settled against the back of the bench. "Reminds me of when I wanted Chuckles to…never mind, that story will make you squirm. Let's just say I had to talk him through something once too."

"Thank you for not sharing the details, because I'm already squirming telling you this!" A hearty laugh followed. "This part's really cute…afterwards, Nicky was propped up on his elbow watching me catch my breath. He totally knew he rocked my world..."

_"I hope you'll let me do that to you again sometime in the future." Gliding his palm over Carrie's still heaving torso he grinned. "But if you didn't enjoy it, and you'd rather not, I'll understand." _

_"Do you have any plans in say…fifteen minutes?" Laughing at herself she remarked, "Maybe ten." _

_"Oh…so you did enjoy it," he teased while snuggling closer. "Like I said, this is our first time and it's easy to misinterpret each other's signals…yeah…I wasn't sure what you meant by, 'Oh my god that was awesome! I think I actually blacked out there for a minute!'" _

"I'll definitely miss O'ing while Nicky's out of commission."

"Just because he can't, doesn't mean you can't," Tawny snickered.

"How could he possibly help me without exciting himself? It wouldn't be fair to torture him like that."

"Aww…there you go being cute again. You don't have to include him, Sweetie."

"Tawny! Oh my god…I don't care how much you need to be entertained, we're not discussing **that**," Carrie laughed hard into the receiver. "I'll admit it's going to be hard going without now that I know what I'm missing."

**The Willows/Brown Household  
****5:38 p.m. **

When Catherine waltzed into the guest suite, also known as Warrick's temporary quarters, she saw him standing in front of the closet. "Uh…" Her breath caught when her gaze focused on his glistening freshly showered skin and his muscular body covered only by a towel loosely fastened around his hips…fastened so loosely, she was certain one stiff breeze would send it falling to the floor. _Stop lusting! You know the rules! Why torture yourself? Look away! _"Hungry?" she asked while staring at his ass. _All I want is a serving of you with a side dish of…._

"Hey…" Warrick turned to see his roommate.

As if to torture her further, the towel slipped lower. _Talk about karmic punishment! Take your eyes off the goody trail because it leads to the land of You Can't Have It!_ "I was uh…going to order some take out and…"

"What are you in the mood for?" he asked in a husky voice. _Damn, I need to grab a drink, my throat is dry as hell_.

_Yes! That's his 'I want to sex you up' voice!_ "I knew you'd cave," she remarked while locking the door behind her and darting across the room. In a flash her fingers were coiling around the towel. "Baby, you look…"

"Cath…" Frustrated, he peeled her off and rewrapped his towel. "I meant what kind of **take out food** are you in the mood for?"

"Oh." Laughing at herself she answered, "Definitely not hot dogs." When she saw him crack a smile she sighed, "This is fun…yeah…it reminds me of the years before we hooked up...spending time…sharing food…and me dying to kiss you."

**Jacqueline's Patio Café - Chicago  
****5:40 p.m. **

After polishing off the last drop of Chardonnay in her glass, Lissa commented, "Drew…if someone had said to me on Tuesday that I'd be sitting in a bar with you conversing and having a wonderful time on Friday, I would have had them committed."

"It really is amazing." Sliding closer he placed his arm on the back of her chair and spoke softly. "It's like we needed that crisis to start talking and once we did…" Locking on her eyes, Drew confessed, "After all the marathon late night phone calls and now this…it's crazy but…I haven't felt this close to you in a long time."

A nervous smile jittered across her lips. "I feel the same way."

Reaching out, Drew risked placing his hand over hers. "I swear I'm falling in love with you all over again…only this time it's even quicker and harder than the first time."

"How can that be?" Trembling from his touch, she fought the urge to retract her hand. "You told me you loved me only days after you met me in Barbados." The wine allowing her humor to slip through, she teased, "I credited my string bikini and my skill level in bed that first afternoon."

"That wasn't it." Chuckling he admitted, "Okay, I was in my twenties and those were indeed some substantial perks but, that wasn't the reason I fell in love with you…no…it was how you made me feel every time I was with you in a crowded room. You made me feel like I was the only person there even when every guy was trying to get with you and you knew you could have any one of them."

"But I only wanted you," she remarked in a distant voice.

"During my assigned reading, I figured out why that was so important to me." Speaking from the heart he shared his analysis, "After fighting for attention and having to prove myself worthy my whole life…within in my family, on every sports team, at school, and in a city where my last name always summoned my mother's or father's reputation first and foremost…I was exhausted. Then you came along and freely gave me all the attention I craved without making me prove myself every five minutes…you let me relax." Clutching her hand he relented to nervous humor, "But what about you? Did you fall for me because of how I looked in my swim trunks and my skill level in bed that first afternoon together?"

"Definitely." Covering her mouth she laughed. "I blame the heavy flow of tropical cocktails, your unmatched sexual talent…and your stamina. Remember how ticked your buddies were that they never saw you again after you met me? You missed all your tee times."

Losing himself in the happy memory, Drew asked, "Do you remember watching the sunrise together on your last day there?"

In an instant she was transported back to his bungalow with its curtains snapping in the island breeze while they held each other in bed watching the horizon. "I was desperately trying to think of a way out of my photo shoot in Denver so I could stay on with you."

"Later, I had your agent fax your contract to my sister Kendra to look for a legal loophole."

"But there wasn't one." Her smile filled the room. "So you packed up and followed me to Denver, even though it was the dead of winter and you had four more days paid to stay on a tropical island."

Grinning together their smiles gravitated toward each other and soon they were in a near-kiss.

"Lissa..." Drew placed his palm on her cheek and closed his eyes.

"I…" she breathed out as her eyes fluttered shut. " No…sorry." Lissa jerked back. "It's way too soon for that."

After clearing his throat Drew apologized, "Sorry…I didn't plan on…it just felt…"

She grabbed her water glass and gulped. "Unlike you, I haven't had affection since our last time together…I was letting my body do my thinking instead of my head."

"We should probably get going and see the kids," he suggested, trying to move beyond the awkward moment. "What time is it anyway?"

**The Mandalay Bay  
****5:58 p.m.**

"Sara!" Gil called out from his position in front of the dresser mirror. "I have to meet my dad in two minutes and I can't tie this damn bowtie!" _How many college degrees do I have and I still can't figure out how to twist fabric into a bow?_

"This is why you went out and got yourself a woman…for occasions such as these…and the one we just shared in bed," Sara teased while strutting out of the bathroom in her new dress. "Hopefully I still remember Catherine's instructions on how to tie one."

"Wow." His mouth fell open as she stepped closer. "Stunning."

"Thank you." Confident in her own skin, she spun around to give the full view. "I was pretty pleased with how I looked myself." Grinning, she reached around from behind and grabbed the ends of his tie. "Dare I say I'm getting used to playing dress up? I'm a nerd girl gone wild."

"I have to be honest…" With admiration, Gil watched his wife expertly maneuver the fabric into a bow. "While I think you look damn sexy in coveralls scooping decomp out of a trunk…this glamour look is quite appealing to me too."

"And even though you admit things like…you find me damn sexy scooping decomp out of a trunk…I'm still outrageously attracted to you." Finished with his tie, Sara rested her hands on his shoulders. "We definitely need a picture Mr. and Mrs. Glamorous for the scrapbook."

"We can have…" The ring of Gil's cell phone snapped him out of the amorous moment. "I'm late!"

**Celine's**** House  
****6:04 **

When her bedroom door opened, Celine snapped, "It's about time! His mom is picking him up in an hour." She grabbed Armand by the arm and yanked him into her room. "And look at him! You'll need time."

The vivacious twenty-seven year old employee of Mr. Campbell's trendiest hotel salons shrieked, "Mitts off my shirt, girlfriend! It's Versace." He smoothed his palm over the sleeve. "Randall gave it to me for our two week anniversary yesterday."

Sean's eyes widened as he stared at the man's wild platinum blonde hair and his crazy shirt, which displayed every color of the rainbow. "Wow…do you know Greg Sanders?"

**Wildfire Country Club  
****6:07 p.m. **

When Tawny returned to the boisterous patio crowd Greg opened his arms to welcome her with an embrace. "Everything okay with Carrie and Nick?" With his eyes he also asked, _and you?_

"Yep." She slipped into his arms for a snuggle while Becca, The Energizer Bunny of Denial, turned a deeper shade of green. "Nick's definitely getting discharged tomorrow so, that's good news and Carrie was in high spirits…we had a really nice chat."

"Speaking of good news and high spirits!" a male voice boomed from behind Greg and Tawny. "I have some I'd like to share."

Tawny saw Becca's expression turn from pissed to enraged in seconds and whispered to Greg, "Who is the player holding two bottles of Cristal and a babe?"

"Oh god…" Greg winced, knowing a war was about to break out. "That's Peter…Becca's ex-husband."

"What are you and the big-ass slut, also known as our ex-housekeeper, doing here!" Becca raged while the regular crowd settled in to be entertained by the club's latest divorcees. "You know I have Labor Day weekend at the club!"

"About that…" Peter strolled forward while placing his arm around Teresa's bronze shoulders. "I consulted with my lawyer and the settlement stipulation is that I can't show up **as a member** on your days. But I'm not here as a member…" He winked. "I'm here as **a guest** of a member…Teresa became a member two days ago. And you better get used to seeing me around because, check it out…" He lifted Teresa's left hand and shot daggers at his ex. "We're engaged, and we can't wait to get married **and start a family**."

The crowd gasped and they were torn between checking out the rock on Teresa Gutierrez's hand and watching Becca's head, which they assumed would explode within the next fifteen seconds.

"Walking!" Greg announced as he grabbed Becca's arm and attempted to prevent the explosion.

Scott glanced over at Tawny and noted she was unfazed by Greg's concern over the woman who had spent the afternoon trying to piss her off and get rid of her. _Thank god she's a penniless, pregnant girl and really needs to keep Greg around. _

"Staying!" Becca shook loose of Greg's grip and darted for her ex. "God damn you, Peter! You staged this whole thing just to humiliate me **again,** and in front of…" Greg's hand over her mouth ended her tirade.

"Leaving!" Greg strong-armed her off the patio to prevent his friend from making an even bigger ass of herself than she had been all afternoon. Once they were at a safe distance, he removed his hand and said, "You're out of control!"

Pointing from whence they came Becca snarled, "He's parading around the woman I caught him screwing on **my **sofa! And he's doing it at **my** club, on** my** weekend! In front of people I've known since I was born!" She turned on a dime to head back. "That bastard!"

"Becca!" He grabbed her by the wrist. "You've been making an ass of yourself all day. As your friend, I'm trying to preserve the shred of self-respect you have left. Can't you see I'm doing you a favor?"

"As if you care about me! You have your perfect little Amish girl kissing your ass so…"

"Hey!" Getting in her face Greg heatedly said, "Trust me…if I didn't care about you, I would have cut you down during any one of the dozen opportunities you've given me today! You've been nothing but a bitch to Tawny all afternoon! The **only **reason I didn't make a fool out of you is because of our history and because Tawny isn't upset by your behavior because she believes you're pathetic…and right now, so do I."

His words cutting her deeply, Becca dropped her head in her hands. "I'm losing my mind, aren't I?"

"You're emotionally confused and acting irrationally." Calming down with a deep breath he added, "I've been there myself…it's scary. You need to pull it together and if you can't, then you need to stay away from the club this weekend because I'm not changing any of my plans and they all include Tawny…and I'll be holding her hand, and kissing her, and loving her…not to tick you off or make you jealous, but because that's what I enjoy doing."

"Okay already! That's twice this week you've screamed at me and…you were the only person who never screamed at me."

When he heard her sniffling Greg walked over. "I'm sorry for raising my voice…again."

"I never cheated on Peter," she whimpered.

"I know you didn't."

"He screwed her on my couch on purpose," she squeaked. "When he knew I'd catch them together. When he knew I still loved him."

Taking her hands Greg gave them a squeeze. "I know."

Her tears forming Becca choked on her words, "He just said they couldn't wait to start a family. But he told me he never wanted kids." Her first tear slipping down her cheek she whispered, "More bad timing? Or…he just didn't want to start a family with me…because I'm such a bitch that he didn't think I should be a mother? Not that I wanted to be a mother…you know that…you and I always had that in common…we never wanted kids because we agreed the world is too screwed up to bring a kid into it."

"Yeah…well…things can change when you fall in love with someone who wants to have kids."

"Tawny wants kids?" She saw the answer in his smile. "Hoj…you were **adamant** about never having kids. Oh my god…what kind of spell does that witch have on you?"

Greg couldn't contain his happiness. "The best kind…unconditional love."

Set off by his glee, she raged, "There's no such thing…you'll find that out. Everybody uses everybody and when you become useless, they abandon you."

"Yeah…" Nodding, he released her hands. "You personally taught me that lesson at least a half dozen times."

"You really despise me." Her tears flowed stronger. "I never thought that would happen."

Shaking his head Greg uttered a nostalgic line as he did his old job one last time, "Pity, party of one…is this seat taken?" He placed his arms around her and let her cry on his shoulder. "You need to forget about this Sanders guy you're pining for and do something else this weekend, Becca."

"I can't…I keep thinking he'll change his mind," she sobbed. "I really think…"

"I have insider information…I guarantee he won't." Greg smoothed his hand over her back. "And you know what your therapist would say is going on here…it's the same old Daddy issue. As soon as a guy doesn't want you, you get desperate and make a fool of yourself trying to get him to come back…just like you used to do crazy things to try and get your father to come back to you. I'm not judging you for still having the problem…trust me, I'm still dealing with my own ancient history…Monday in your poolhouse as the most recent example." An edge crept into his voice as he stepped back. "But what I'm not doing, is treating innocent people like shit because I've got issues. See the difference?"

"How would you describe your treatment of me in my poolhouse?"

"I said **innocent** people, Becks."

"Right." She gave a nearly imperceptible nod. "I just wished you loved me."

"I really do love you…as a friend." He brushed her tears away. "Here's something I learned from my dad recently…love isn't telling someone what they want to hear…it's telling them what they **need** to hear." Cupping her face he made sure he had her attention. "I'm proposing to Tawny this weekend and we'll be getting married and having kids and nothing will prevent that from happening…**nothing**. You've been a ruthless bitch to my future wife and if you don't stop this minute…you'll lose me as a friend forever."

"I couldn't handle that." She squeezed him tighter. "Do you know what that annoying psychiatrist I pay a fortune to said to me once? She said that the reason I never let you be my boyfriend was because I believed romantic relationships always end badly and I couldn't stand the thought of losing you."

"Becca…come on…" Holding her, he closed his eyes. "You're tough…by this time next year you can be a whole new you. Reinvent yourself. Get out of San Marino…away from Peter…away from all this bullshit…trust me, I did it, and it's freeing. You're young, rich, smart and beautiful…you can do anything you want."

"Almost anything," she sniffled.

"Seriously…for once in your life, stop living for a guy."

"Are you saying I should try being a lesbian for a while?" she joked while her heart was aching.

"You already tried that in college, remember?" He laughed at the memory of her marching into his dorm room, falling onto the bed and saying. 'I just did a girl!' "When Josh Reno stood you up and you went out with the catcher from the softball team..."

"That's right…yeah…I sucked at that too. That chick went off on me by the end of the weekend." She laughed while wiping her tears. "I'm sure she put the word out and I'm probably blacklisted."

"Probably." He smiled with her, caressing her cheek. "There's the girl I know…welcome back."

"Bad week to stop taking my meds, huh?"

"There's a twenty-four hour pharmacy down the street, and I'm willing to drive."

They shared a laugh.

"I'm really sorry, Hoj."

"I think it's Tawny who needs to hear that from you."

Over Greg's shoulder Becca saw Tawny approaching. "Unlike me…she has impeccable timing. Is she going to be pissed because you're holding me? Maybe even toss your ass to the curb?"

"Nope." Greg turned and informed Tawny, "We're doing much better now."

"I brought your purse and some ice water, Becca." Tawny extended both. "Your ex is still on the patio so I didn't think you'd want to go back there." When she saw her nemesis's reluctance to take the glass Tawny joked, "I'll take the first sip so you know it's not poison." _Ugh…nice crocodile tears. Next I bet you'll utter some half-ass apology to prove to Greg that you're giving up. _

In that moment Greg fell a little deeper in love with his future wife. "Thanks, Honey." Taking the glass he handed it to Becca. "Wasn't there something you were going to say…"

"I'm sorry I've been such a bitch to you, Tawny. I promise I'll stop." She laughed, "Mainly because I'm getting the hell out of here for the rest of the weekend. Better to be honest, right?" _Honestly…I can't stand your saccharine smile and every minute I spend with you, Little Miss Perfect, turns my stomach just a little more._ Handing back the half-empty glass she forced a smile and started walking towards the parking lot. "Enjoy the rest of your stay in California."

Greg took a deep breath and released it. "Excellent…my work here is done and now we can relax the rest of the weekend."

"You really think that's the last we'll be seeing her this weekend, Chuckles?" When he nodded Tawny shook her head. _What you don't know about women could fill a library._ "A month's worth of laundry says we see her again before the stroke of midnight."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****6:15 p.m. **

Approaching the mirror to check her appearance in her floor-length gown one last time, Lina confessed to Sara, "I feel like Cinderella."

"But, unlike her…" Sara handed over a beautiful bouquet of crisp white roses tied in ribbon to match the muted silver of Lina's dress. "…you won't be changing after midnight. This fantasy is here to stay."

"Good thing I wore waterproof mascara." Lina dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief she had been gripping for the last twenty minutes.

Smiling at her future mother-in-law Sara sweetly announced, "You already have something old and something new…now you need something borrowed and something blue." She held out a silver anklet decorated with blue and purple butterflies. "It's a five dollar trinket but Gil bought it for me about six weeks after we started dating, and it's very special to me."

_Taking a break from plotting bullet trajectories in a strip mall parking lot, Sara took a seat on a nearby bench and sipped from her water bottle. The grueling work in the morning sun had been a welcome break from the heavy thoughts plaguing her fragile mind. _

_One week after her nervous breakdown at a domestic violence crime scene, and three sessions into her intensive therapy with Dr. Myers, Sara was uncertain she could handle the harsh memories of her childhood yet to be confronted. The only thing that gave her hope was that she wouldn't be doing it alone. Grissom had been there every step of the way and she knew for the first time in her life, he would always be by her side. _

_Staring at the scene of a bloody shootout Sara fell a little deeper into despair._

_"Hello, CSI Sidle," Grissom cordially greeted while taking a seat next to his secret lover. "Hell of a crime scene, huh?" _

_"Yeah."__ His proximity brightened her mood immediately. "Where did you go on your break?" _

_"I went to buy some chocolate." Reaching into his pocket he produced a candy bar. "I suppose it would be rude not to share." _

_"Yes, it would." A smile edged over her lips. "And coincidentally, that happens to be one of my favorites." _

_"Really?" he remarked as Vartann walked by talking to a cop. "Then I insist you have it." _

_"That's very generous, thank you." When she retrieved the Kit Kat from his hand she immediately felt bumpiness under the wrapper. "Something's…" _

_Knowing her paranoid nature he said, "It's been tampered with but …if you check the prints, you'll know whodunit and won't worry." With that he stood and returned to his work. _

_Stealthily, Sara unwrapped the outer paper and peeked. The anklet of beautiful butterflies looked magical against the metallic silver wrapper glistening in the sun. From across the parking lot she saw Grissom tip his baseball cap and her heart skipped a beat. _

"Oh, Sara…" Lina gazed at the sentimental piece of jewelry. "I'd be honored."

"So would I." Sara nodded. "Welcome to the family."

**Drew and Lissa's House – Chicago  
****6:19 a.m. **

When Lissa peered into the house she saw Marta had the kids sitting on the stairs as requested. "Hey, there, little ones. Guess who I found at the airport?" She swung open the door to reveal Drew was at her side.

"Daddy!" Cassie, who was dressed in one of her many fairy princess costumes, flew off the stairs with her magic wand clamped in her fist. "This is exactly what I was wishing for!" With her arms open wide and her brother on her heels she dashed to greet her father.

Drew knelt down to meet them eye to eye. "I missed you, Princess." He kissed the top of Cassie's head. "Your mother told me you rode Sunflower like a Rodeo Queen yesterday."

"Yes, Sir, I sure did. I'm ready to start jumping," she told her father, knowing he had a much harder time saying no to her than her mother. "Please…just itty bitty ones."

Drew saw Lissa shudder. "No jumping 'til you're older." Smiling at his wife he told his daughter, "Because we care too much about mommy to give her a heart attack."

Marta handed over one year old Claire to her mother. "I'll start dinner."

"Thank you," Lissa replied while whispering in her baby's ear, "Promise mommy you won't like horses or be an adrenaline junkie like your daddy and your sister."

Turning to his son, Drew eyed him from head to toe. "Look at you, little man." He gave a high five to the almost four-year old. "I think you grew three inches since I left." He pulled him in for a bear hug. "You wanna throw some ball after I change out of these fancy clothes?"

Without a word, Matthew took off running to get his football.

Standing up, Drew winked at Cassie. "Don't you worry, little lady. After dinner we'll have one last dance lesson before the party tomorrow."

Waving her magic wand at her parents Cassie grinned.

"Are you puttin' a spell on us?" Drew teased. "No doubt it's about making us say yes to you jumpin' horses."

Giggling she confessed, "I was trying to make you kiss Mommy like Prince Charming kisses Cinderella, because you never kiss Mommy anymore and I think that's why she's sad sometimes."

Drew and Lissa stood frozen in the foyer and then he said, "No…you have it all wrong. I don't want to mess up Mommy's pretty lipstick is all. I only kiss her when she doesn't have it on." Then he forced a smile, "You haven't been sneaky enough to catch us yet."

Giggling harder Cassie took off running. "I'm gonna catch you one day!"

Rhythmically patting Claire's back Lissa softly said, "Thank you for coming up with that."

"Here…you probably need a break." Drew gently removed their baby from his wife's arms. "I'll take her for a bit."

"Thanks." Choking back her tears Lissa headed for the stairs and at the landing, she looked back at her husband snuggling their child. "Drew…" When he glanced up Lissa nodded. "All of this hurts like hell but…we definitely made the right decision."

"I know we did." He kissed his daughter's cheek. "We made a promise, right Lis? For better or worse. Surely it can't get any worse than it was on Tuesday. We're on our way back up. I honestly believe that, do you?"

Swiping a tear she squeaked a reply, "I do."

**The Mandalay Bay  
****6:28 p.m. **

Standing in the wedding chapel Gil stared at his father, dressed handsomely in a tux. "It really doesn't get more surreal than this."

"How's that, Son?" Ron nervously fiddled with his jacket.

"A month ago we were estranged and now I'm the Best Man at your wedding." Gil's eyes shifted toward the entrance. "A month ago I was certain I had lost Sara forever and now she's about to walk through those doors pregnant with my child and happy to see me."

"I hear you…I was technically dead on the operating table a few years back." Ron laughed as he adjusted his bowtie. "Breathing seems like a miracle to me some times."

"Speaking of miracles." Gil pointed to the door where Sara was flashing a thumbs up that Lina was good to go. "I believe it's time to marry the miracle in your life."

Gil flagged the minister and seconds later the wedding march flowed through the chapel speakers. "Good luck, Dad." He smirked, "When the time comes, I hope she says I do."

"You get your smart-ass sense of humor from me." Ron took a deep breath and watched Sara travel down the aisle, focusing on her brilliant smile. "She's way too good for you, Son."

"I know." Gil held out his hand and greeted his wife with a peck on the cheek so he wouldn't mess her berry-colored lipstick. "Your smile lit the room," he whispered in her ear.

"Of course it did," she confidently remarked. "I was looking at you."

"Wow…" Ron's eyes clung to Lina as she seemingly floated down the aisle toward him. "I'm…"

"Speechless?" Sara filled in the blank. "And you should be…she looks phenomenal in that gown. But mostly you should be blown away because she's crazy about you."

Gil winked at his dad and tossed one last barb. "Which makes her just plain crazy."

Sara took her official position across from Gil. "Here we go."

The Minister opened his book and smiled at the bride who had just slipped her trembling hand into that of her imminent husband's. "Welcome Angelina and Ron…Gil and Sara. How happy it makes me to see your smiles filling my chapel."

While the minister continued his opening, Ron and Lina locked eyes, as did Gil and Sara.

"Love can grow from many sources…passion, friendship, frustration…"

Sara's eyes sparkled as she mouthed 'definitely frustration' to her husband.

"Love is when you look into someone's eyes and you see their soul…"

The first tear slipped down Lina's cheek.

"Love is when you cry…when you laugh…when you smile. Love is when you dream…"

**Wildfire Country Club  
****6:43 p.m. **

Walking across the parking lot holding Tawny's hand, Greg saw several men unloading equipment from a large truck and his heart leapt into his throat. In an instant he envisioned the beautifully decorated tables surrounding the constructed dance floor on the club's lawn. He saw the stage and the lights and heard the violins tuning. Then he saw Tawny in the audience…the look on her face when she realized the moment was finally happening. Standing there it was a dream. Tomorrow night it would be a reality.

"Chuckles!" Tawny tugged him hard. "Aren't you a little boy this evening…fascinated by a big a truck with shiny wheels."

He quickly glanced down at the pavement so she wouldn't see the emotion building in his eyes. "Busted."

"Are you okay?" Placing her fingertips under his chin she lifted his gaze to hers. "Oh…you're smiling."

"I'm happy…unbelievably happy." Joy danced in his glassy eyes. "Are you sure you didn't pay Becca to be extra bitchy?" he chuckled. "Because everything she did or said today only made you look even more incredible in my eyes." Bringing her hand to his lips he placed a kiss and said, "This morning you said you'd spend the day spoiling me and here it is almost seven and I've never felt more loved in my life."

**University Trauma Center  
****6:47 p.m. **

Upon seeing Carrie enter his room, Nick asked in a voice a little too needy for his comfort, "Where have you been, Sweetheart? Your note just said you'd be back around six-thirty and you left your cell behind so, I couldn't call you. Sorry…I'm not being possessive…I just…"

"Surprise!" Holding up two bags she merrily replied, "I was picking up Chinese Food and our road trip pictures." After a kiss to his cheek she set the bags on the tray table. "Sorry if I worried you. I didn't mean to leave my cell behind. I put it down so I could put a blanket over you and I forgot to pick it up before leaving."

After slowly climbing out of bed, he smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks for the blanket, the food and the pictures." After a minute he softly said, "My mom called while you were gone."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for that, Honey." She checked his eyes. "What's the latest?"

"The arraignment is set for morning." He took a quick breath. "And uh…Mom got confirmation…my trophy is in evidence. The name plate was still on it and everything…I suppose the rush she got from seeing that was worth the risk of getting caught…I don't know. The new development is…there was a number on the bottom of it…in permanent marker."

"A number?"

"A number one." Shaking his head Nick said, "It wasn't there when I had it. She put it there…and while we don't officially know what it means…." He blew out a breath. "I'm guessin' it means I was the first."

"Oh, Nicky…"

"Carson gave her one of his swim medals."

"Did it have a number on it?"

Walking backwards, he took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Fourteen."

Taking a seat next to him she rested her head on his burdened shoulder. "So…somewhere out there are twelve more vics."

"That's what I'm thinkin'…yeah…I've been thinkin' about it since I hung up with my mom." Clutching his fiancé's hand Nick quietly asked, "Can we hold off on the food and look at the pictures first?"

"Exactly what I was hoping to do," she replied, going along with his sudden, and obviously necessary, change of subject. "Curiosity was killing me so I stole a peek when I was waiting to pay for them." Lunging across him she grabbed the bag. "You took a very nice photo of me making a fool of myself on that dinosaur slide but, I think your favorite will be me looking scared shitless on that harmless pony."

"I can't wait to see that." Pushing past his tension Nick watched Carrie flip through the photos to find it. "You do mean that scary-ass pony wearing a straw hat and pink ribbons, right?"

"Flower was her name and she felt so much bigger when I was on her," Carrie commented while her laughter engaged. "I could have sworn my feet were two meters off the ground but look…"

As soon as Nick saw the picture of Carrie with her feet an inch off the ground, clutching the saddle horn for dear life he cracked up. "Oh shoot…hand me a pillow to hold against my incision, Darlin'. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of laughing."

Grabbing the pillow she beamed, "That's why I went to the one hour photo, Nicky." After placing the pillow over his gut she held up another picture. "Speaking of being scared shitless…look who's afraid of Bambi."

"No one sees that!" he cringe-laughed. "**Especially **not my brother."

**Celine's**** House  
****6:56 p.m. **

While his mom waited in the van with Ashley and Mckenna, Ryan hurried up to the mini-mansion to pick up his brother. _Looks like Celine's last name is Warbucks_, he thought while listening to the chiming doorbell.

Thirty seconds later a gray-haired woman wearing a plain beige dress answered the door. "You must be Ryan, they called from the guard gate. Your brother will be down momentarily." With that she returned to the kitchen.

Whistling, Ryan slowly paced the foyer, taking in the opulence he had only seen in movies.

"Ryan!" Sean blurted from the top of the stairs. "Check out the all new me!" He proudly twirled around. "What do you think?"

Instead of his brother, Ryan saw a beautiful girl with shiny blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes and…perky boobs. "Hi." Raising his hand he watched the girl bound toward him smiling. Right in the middle of his unchecked lust, a flamboyant man startled him. "**Ah!**"

"Welcome to this week's episode of, 'Queer Eye for the Geek Teen'. What do you think of your brother's new look?" Armand demanded. "The suspense is killing us…it's making us edgy…especially me, because I forgot to pop a Xanax before coming here."

"Dude!" Ryan exclaimed when he finally noticed Sean. "What the hell did you do to your hair? You look like mini-Greg."

Armand filled in the blank. "I added layers, texturized and colored his tips…a little blowing…a little styling and he was good to go."

Celine's confidence plummeted. "You don't like it?"

"Hey…don't get me wrong," Ryan confessed to the gorgeous girl, "It's way cool…it's just not Sean."

"Cool **is** the new me!" Sean protested. "Tell him, Armand! I'm a brainiac with fashion sense now. Wait until you see the clothes I have in the bag."

"You tell him, Honey!" Armand clapped for his style protégé. When he saw Ryan tense up he said, "Relax…I like boys, but not little ones."

"Whatever," Ryan casually replied as he gaped at Celine.

Celine coyly posed. "Unlike your brother…you don't need a makeover at all, Ryan. I like you just the way you are."

"**Really?"** he answered in the voice of a giddy girl. Lowering it he took another stab at being cool. "What can I say…some people are born stylin'."

**The Sanders Home  
****7:04 p.m. **

With Tawny settled down for a nap and his mother passed out on the couch from over-zealous mid-day wine consumption, Greg snuck into the master bedroom to visit his ring. Taking the key to his mother's dresser from its secret locale behind her wedding photo, Greg unlocked the top drawer.

"Stealing?" Scott asked as he joined his only child at the dresser.

"Yep." Greg cracked open the Tiffany blue velvet box. "A peek."

"It's stunning."

"I can't wait to see it on her hand." His eyes drank in the shimmer of the stones.

"Greg…"

"Uh oh." He snapped the box shut. "I know that tone."

"Yeah…" Scott leaned against the wall watching his son lock up the dresser. "About Becca…I know you two have a lot of history but…"

"I know what you're going to say." Greg returned the key and faced his father. "I should have been harder on her…especially in front of Tawny. But Tawny doesn't care and…just because Becca can be a colossal bitch doesn't make me forget I owe her."

"Owe her for what, Son?" Scott folded his arms across his chest.

"She kept me safe at school," he admitted to his father for the first time. "My first year…she wouldn't let anyone touch me and she taught me the ropes. I was her freak project…but I didn't mind because…for the first time in my life I wasn't getting shit on at school."

Scott nodded, "I know it was rough at…"

"You have no idea how rough it was, Dad, or what Becca prevented." After gulping down the urge to spill the beans, Greg forced himself beyond the moment. "Anyway…I had a good talk with her and everything's cool."

"But she'll be at the party tonight."

"Nah…she said she was staying away the rest of the weekend."

Scott placed his hand on Greg's shoulder. "Son…I've watched her maneuver for over fifteen years. She'll be at that party. Just promise me you won't do anything…"

"Stupid, right?" He tensed. "Unbelievable. I thought we were bonding…I thought you understood how much I love Tawny. I can't believe you really think I'd…"

"Greg…" Scott chided him with his tone, "You didn't let me finish."

"Sorry." Huffing, he waited for his father to fling negativity.

"As I was saying…promise me you won't do anything **to jeopardize your voice**…parties are loud…people will be smoking…you talk over the din of the room and inhale fumes all night, you'll wake up strained and won't be able to belt out your tune. I know why it's important for you to go so, I won't say stay home…just don't stay too long and try to spend as much time as possible outside away from the smoke and the noise." Scott nodded. "That's all I was going to say."

"Oh." Feeling foolish, he averted his eyes. "Thanks…that's a real good point."

"Yeah." Scott turned and walked out of the room. "Thanks for having faith in me…oh wait…that didn't happen."

"Dad…" Greg followed him like a puppy at his heels. "You feel like…I don't know…uh…do you want to do something together while our women snooze? What could we do together?"

"Well…" Scott glanced at his watch. "The car lots will be open for a couple more hours. I could call my buddy Glen at the Toyota dealership and tell him we're coming…that is if you're ready to trade in the Z and take another step toward being a family man?"

Grinning, Greg headed for the door. "Let's do it."

**The Willows/Brown Household  
****7:09 p.m. **

Approaching Catherine at the kitchen sink Warrick whispered in her ear. "You up for a little action?"

Suspicious, she glanced over her shoulder. "You mean talking, don't you?"

"Yep."

The ring of the doorbell interrupted the conversation and they heard Lindsay yell, _I've got it!_

Without looking through the peephole like she was taught, Lindsay opened the door. A second later she gasped.

"I hope this isn't a bad time," Sean said as he held out his neighbor's homework folder. "Your mom called the front office and asked that I bring you your homework. So…uh…this is it." When she didn't take it, Sean prompted. "Oh…I get it…you're afraid of my geek cooties."

"No…I…" She pointed at his head. "I was staring at your hair." And the way he was loosely wearing his Butterfield tie…and his new cool shoes…and the fact that he looked adorable. _Did I just think that Sean was **adorable**? Oh my god. What did Dr. Myers do to me? This isn't my brain!_ "I've only been out of school a day, right?"

"Why? Are you afraid there was a glitch in the space/time continuum?"

"Yeah…that." His science-speak snapped Lindsay out of her daze and she finally took the work. "Thanks."

"Anytime." He somberly nodded. "Even though you were really mean to me without reason…I don't want to see you fail out of school."

"You don't want to see me fail?" she asked in a hopeful tone. "That's really…"

"Yo! Super Stylin' Sean!" Ryan shouted from their front lawn. "Mom has dinner on the table."

"I have to go." Sean pointed towards his house. "I've been at Celine's and…"

"You were at **Celine's** house?" She went from perky to pissed in seconds.

"Yes," he beamed with delight. "We're friends…really good friends. We had the best time. She helped me pick out this new look."

"Thanks for homework!" Lindsay snapped before slamming the door. "Ugh!" She tossed the folder to the floor and marched to her new room to blog out her frustration on her laptop.

Walking with his brother, Ryan needled, "Lindsay thought you looked hot."

"She did not." Sean glanced over his shoulder and saw Lindsay's shadow behind her bedroom curtains.

"I think the two of you have a love-hate thing going on."

"No…she just hates me."

"I bet tonight is the night, Sean."

"For what?" he asked in a curious tone.

"The dream…the dream that will have you doing laundry in the morning."

Sean plugged his ears. "I'm not listening."

"It will be about Lindsay Willows leaning out of her bedroom window wearing only a tank top and underwear. You do realize her window is directly across from yours, right?"

"Stop it!"

Ryan cracked up. "Hey…I'll be meeting you in the laundry room because Celine is firmly planted in my subconscious."

"The only thing I'll be doing in the morning is getting excited over my trip to the body farm."

"Bro…you can change your hair and the way you wear your clothes trying to convince people you're cool…but only a geek would get excited about a trip to the body farm."

**The Manadalay Bay  
****7:11 p.m. **

Climbing into his father's limo Gil verified, "You're sure I'll be back in plenty of time for my trip to the body farm tomorrow morning, right Dad?"

Sara elbowed her husband. "Can you chill about the body farm already? Your father just got married for crying out loud. The dead aren't going anywhere. Let's party with the living tonight."

"Sorry." Gil moved his gaze from his wife to his father and then Lina. "I get a little carried away when it comes to…" As hard as he tried he couldn't let go. "If you could just confirm that we'll be back in time, I promise to drop it."

"Why fight city hall? Tell my geek what he wants to know!" Sara broke into an easy laugh. "I suppose we should be thankful that he didn't bring a racing cockroach on this trip."

"Careful…" Gil smirked, "They haven't opened their wedding gift yet."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Thanks El Gringo Loco for your feedback! Much appreciated :-)

Next chapter: Sunday morning

Thanksto everyonereading,  
Maggs


	28. Chapter 28

**Laws of Motion – Book 1**

**Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 28**

**September 2, 2005 **

**IHMD, Inc Corporate Jet**

**7:25 p.m. **

Sitting in a posh leather chair drinking faux-bubbly as the pilot prepped for take off, Sara turned to her husband and said, "As much as I enjoy scooping decomp out of a trunk…this is pretty fun too."

Gil clinked his champagne flute against his wife's. "But it's no trip to the body farm."

Tilting her head in a judgmental pose Sara replied, "You're really bugged I don't want to come along, aren't you?"

"**Bugged**…good one."

"I'm serious."

"I was bugged, but not after today's spontaneous vomit in the field." He pecked her cheek. "Now I think you should steer clear of body rot."

"Would you like some low-fat cheese and crackers?" the flight attendant asked in a cheery tone.

Sara watched her husband eagerly grab a snack and shook her head. "Yeah…nothing compliments a body rot discussion like a hearty slice of stinky cheese."

After anxiously swallowing his first bite Gil casually informed his wife, "The formation of polycultures and bacterias on the rind of stinky cheese is similar to the decomp process and the odor has similarities as well."

Watching Gil shove another square of smelly dairy into his mouth, Sara placed her palm over her gut as she turned green. "I think it's time we spoke about another temporary pregnancy-mandated restriction. Specifically the linkage of food and decaying flesh in the same thought. From here on out…we talk about corpses independent of food."

"You mean…" He shuddered slightly. "You want us to be a **normal **couple?"

"I think that's a stretch," she chuckled while breathing through the nausea-inducing thought. "We'll have to fake it. We'll ask ourselves…what would Nick and Carrie discuss while eating?"

**University Trauma Center **

**7:55 p.m. **

"That's such a difficult question," Carrie lamented while serving Chinese food on paper plates. After enjoying a trip down memory lane through photographs, Nick had finally expressed an interest in eating and she was happy to indulge him with egg rolls and frivolous conversation to keep his Shelly-burdened mind otherwise occupied.

"You didn't tell me they had to be easy questions," Nick replied as he eased his body into a patio chair. "Thanks for suggesting we bring everything outside. I'm gettin' real antsy being trapped in that confined space. Tomorrow can't come soon enough. I think I'll be able to cope with everything better once I'm on familiar turf."

"I know you will." Carrie slid over a plate. "I selected Lettuce Wraps and Lemon Chicken as entrees because I didn't want to get too spicy since you've been eating bland."

"Thanks, Darlin'." The appetite which had vanished earlier from the Shelly update, suddenly returned with a vengeance. "Now answer my question."

While fixing a lettuce wrap for herself Carrie pondered aloud, "It's tricky because…there are so many cool superhero powers to choose from and they all seem like they'd be great, but when you start to think about them…they could be a curse too. Take invisibility for example…being able to vanish** seems** like it would be awesome but, think about the problems it could cause."

"Like?" He bit into his eggroll and waited for the compelling reason he knew would follow.

"Think of all the things you'd accidentally hear!" She reached for the wrap sauce and shook her head. "It would be daunting."

"No…that's what would make it so cool," Nick countered. "You could hear criminals talking about crimes they didn't commit yet."

"A ha! You prove my point. You can't arrest someone for thinking. So what do you do now that you're burdened with the knowledge that something **might **happen?"

"Duh…you're invisible, Darlin'…you tail 'em."

"Oh yeah? Well…while you're tailing them waiting for something to **maybe** happen, a horrific crime really does happen across town and you miss it. Later you find out that someone died at the hands of the real bad guy, while the guy you were tailing was talking smack and never really intended to murder anyone. See?" Holding up her eggroll Carrie sighed, "That's why Invisibility would be a curse."

Sitting back in his chair Nick mourned the loss of his nearly childhood superpower fantasy. "Shit…I never thought of it that way."

After chomping her eggroll, Carrie lightened up, "And think of all the catty women out there. One minute I'd be standing there and they're nice to me to my face." She snapped her fingers. "But the second I'm invisible it's all…did you see those nubbin boobs? Girlfriend needs some implants ASAP."

"You don't need augmentation, Sweetheart." Reaching out he took her hand. "I don't feel worthy of you as is."

"Smoooooth Stokes." She winked. "They may have taken away five percent of your spleen but your charm is intact."

Chuckling he said, "I know exactly what it's like to be invisible and hear people talking about you."

"How's that?"

"Reading your girly chat transcript. Y'all were talking about Greggo, Gris and me like we weren't there, but when I saw a copy…I heard the brutal truth."

After choking on an eggroll bite Carrie informed him, "I can't believe you just said that, because Greg brought it up to Tawny today too! Ugh…you boys are so insecure."

"**I'm **insecure?" He chuckled hard. "Hell…you're the one who would turn down superhero invisibility for fear of hearing other women say you have nubbin' boobs! **I** wouldn't turn down a kick-ass crime fighting power because I might hear some woman saying my pecker isn't large enough." He immediately clarified, "Not that it isn't large enough." After clearing his throat Nick prodded, "Feel free to back me up on that at any time."

That's when Carrie heard two nurses giggling at the next table and smiled at them. "It's the medication talking…makes people say and do irrational things."

**Becca's**** House**

**8:17 p.m. **

Standing in the foyer of her home, Becca took the small vial of Liquid Ecstasy from her friend Shanna Clarkson and eyed it with a smirk. "This is one capful?"

"I kept the rest for myself," she winked. "Half with alcohol and he'll be in the zone."

"Perfect…half for him, half for me."

"My source is top notch. You won't be disappointed in the quality."

"Hoj is a trip when he's tripping on anything." Becca sauntered toward the kitchen to make cocktails. "Little Miss Amish won't know what hit him."

"Just remember, Becks," Shanna cautioned as she trailed behind, "…that shit only brings out your true emotions. It doesn't change what someone is thinking."

"That's exactly what I'm counting on, girlfriend." She opened the freezer to grab a chilled bottle of vodka. "Hoj is fronting…I know it. When he's rendered uninhibited, he'll let his true feelings slip. Sure he wants to marry the blonde with big breasts who lives and breathes to pump his ego…what guy doesn't? Tawny would make a terrific trophy wife. And you know Hojie…he's always been the joke around here. I can't blame him for finding the hottest babe and trying to make it work. His ego is fragile and he's very insecure…." Becca placed the vial of Liquid X which she planned on using to stealthily drug her reluctant boyfriend on the counter, "…people like that often resort to desperate measures."

Deciding it best not to point out Becca sounded like she was talking about herself, Shanna pulled out a barstool and took a seat. "So, what's your plan?"

Twisting open the Pearl Vodka bottle, Becca poured the chilly alcohol into a martini shaker and grabbed the Cosmo mix. "My plan is to get Hoj to admit what's really going on and then move in for the kill, pointing out that he needs to be with someone who can fill **all** his needs…not just look good on his arm" Done shaking her concoction she filled two glasses. "Then it's Auf Wiedersehen, Fraulein Tawny." Becca laughed, "It's for the best …she can return to her quaint people and they can stop shunning her." Raising her glass she cackled, "I love a happy ending."

"What if this Tawny chick is his beard and Sanders really is gay?" Shanna grabbed a Cosmo and sipped. "Then it will be a no win situation and you'll look like a fool."

"Trust me…" Becca raised her glass. "After feeling every rock solid inch of him the other night…he's either straight or the best damn actor on the planet."

**DuPage**** County Jail**

**8:01 p.m. **

Sitting in a conference room, while an armed guard stood outside the door, Shelly Travers sobbed in her husband's arms. "I can't believe they're accusing me of such horrible things."

"Don't worry, Honey," Phillip assured his innocent wife. "We'll get it all straightened out." Being a gentle and compassionate man who adored his spouse for all the volunteerism she did to help children, his heart broke for her. "I can't believe they would say you…"

"I feel so betrayed," she wept. "After everything I've done for Carson and his mother…for them to set me up like this. I know they were financially destroyed, but to ruin my life just so they could sue for damages…" Shelly gripped her husband's shoulders. "Why didn't they just ask us for money? Why this? And the lengths they went to…planting fake evidence. My god…how evil are these people? Do you think they got the idea from the Michael Jackson case?"

"Maybe." Tears streaming down his cheeks, he held her tighter. "The truth will prevail, Dear."

"How?" She frantically wiped her drenched face. "Reputable lawyers have declined my case because no one wants to be associated with a woman accused of touching little boys." She shuddered deeply. "Oh god…just saying it out loud makes me ill. How could they possibly think I could do such nastiness? And now I'll be stuck with a wet behind the ears Public Defender who doesn't know how to help."

"I found someone experienced," he excitedly relayed. "She was here asking about your case and if we have a top-notch defense team secured yet. I begged her to listen to what we have to say and she relented."

"Really?" Shelly perked up.

"She's waiting in the hall," Phillip informed his distraught wife. "I told her I wanted to see you first. I wanted you calm so she'd get a good first impression."

"Send her in!" Shelly demanded while wiping her tears. "I need some hope, Phillip."

"Okay." After a tender kiss to her cheek he crossed the room and opened the door. "My wife would like to meet with her prospective attorney," he announced to the guard.

At the conference table, Shelly took a deep breath and prepared to snow the lawyer.

"Sweetheart…" Phillip pointed to the woman who entered the room with him. "This is Jillian McGregor. She's a retired public defender and specializes in consultative work."

Shelly stared at the woman. "Do I…" She cocked her head. "…you look familiar."

Jillian stepped further into the room. "What a small world…yes…we have met. It's been twenty-five years though…and I look a bit different, so I'll give you a second to figure it out."

"Your accent…" Shelly's gaze narrowed on the woman's deep brown eyes. "Dallas for sure."

"That's right." Jillian approached the table and smiled. "Perhaps it's my name throwing you. I use my maiden name for business sometimes. You probably remember me as Jillian **Stokes**." When her son's abuser gasped Jillian's tone frosted. "What do you see that has you so scared, Mrs. Travers? Could it be the bigger picture?" While fighting the urge to strangle the pervert Jillian remained composed. "That's right…Carson Treymore was your last, but my son was your first…and you can be damn sure they'll find out what happened in between."

"Get her out of here," Shelly begged her husband as she clutched his arm.

Phillip approached his wife. "What is she talking about? Who is this woman?"

"Get her out!" she barked.

The officer guarding the room took his time, per orders, and pretended he was on his radio.

Jillian leaned over the table, glaring at the vile creature. "Plead guilty."

"You can't come in here and talk to me like this!" Shelly screamed. "You have no right to…

"Actually, I do. Your husband begged me to provide legal advice to the two of you," Jillian matter-of-factly informed her. "The poor man believes you're innocent."

"But she is innocent!" Phillip insisted while he shook from anxiety. "You must have her confused with…"

"I know this is coming as a shock to you, Mr. Travers…" Jillian caught his eyes. "…but I know she's guilty as sin because my son was her first victim. You'll know what I'm saying is true because there's a football trophy in evidence…a trophy with the name Nicholas Stokes on it. Your wife knows who he is and she knows exactly how that trophy came into her possession. Right now, only God and your wife know what else is on it besides my boy's name, but give the forensic lab time and we'll find out." Her anger ratcheting quickly, she glared at the liar before her. "From the look on your face, Mrs. Travers, I have a pretty good guess as to what they'll find on that trophy…your prints and fluids. My theory is that you never bothered to clean your toys after your trips to fantasyland because you never thought you'd get caught Am I right, Mrs. Travers?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shelly rasped while shooting daggers at the woman looming over her.

"Even so…" Jillian tightened her gaze and voice. "In my expert legal opinion, I feel compelled to tell you that it will be quite difficult to prop your bullshit set-up story if the crime lab finds those two things on fourteen pieces of evidence, each piece belonging to a different boy…boys that Carson Treymore and his mother couldn't possibly know."

The overwhelmed husband clutched the back of a chair. "What are you saying…are you saying…"

Jillian didn't mince words. "I'm saying…twenty five years ago, your wife came into my house as a babysitter for my nine year old son and left as a child rapist."

"She's lying, Phillip!" Shelly urged her husband to look at her. "Don't listen to her!"

Jillian countered, "Ask the detective to show you the trophy, Mr. Travers. Then ask yourself why the hell would I lie about something that happened twenty-five years ago when the criminal statute of limitations has expired…why I would want to invite this kind of attention on my family with my husband sitting on the Supreme Court of Texas…why would I want to embarrass my grown son with this when he has a respectable job and a fiancée? And if you're thinking it has to be about money, guess again…I've got money to spare and so does my boy. We don't want a dime." Watching the man's heart break Jillian switched to a soulful tone. "All we want justice, Mr. Travers, and since Nicky can't get it for himself, he'll get it vicariously through Carson and whoever else steps forward and has recourse. Right before I came in here I received confirmation that this story is going national as of nine p.m. We believe there are twelve more victims out there and this will be their chance to feel safe and tell their story."

"Shelly?" Phillip's tears poured down her cheeks. "Is this why you stopped getting physical with me after we were married for a while? Because you like…"

Shelly jumped up, ready to lunge at the woman who turned her husband against her. Get out!" The veins in her neck pulsated with anger. "Before I toss you out."

"Guard!" Jillian moved toward the door. "Mrs. Travers…" she spoke over the woman's curses. "…the prison system has a hierarchical culture. Women who rape innocent children aren't treated well by fellow inmates, many of whom have children of their own that were abused by despicable people like yourself. Plead **guilty**, make the best deal for protected status that you can, and may God have mercy on your soul." She nodded at Phillip who had sunk to the floor. "That's my advice, urge her to take it."

As the guard restrained her, Shelly shouted, "Do you know why Nicky was the easiest mark I ever had! Because he was more scared of what his parents would do to him than me!" She laughed uncontrollably. "He was terrified over you finding out that he ate too much chocolate, jumped on the couch and stayed up past his bedtime! Oooh, big time infractions!" She laughed harder. "He was so damn easy…all because of your brainwashing. So, thanks for your legal advice and for priming your son for me…because he wasn't only the first, he was the best time I ever had. And to answer your earlier question…oh yeah…you'll find plenty of evidence on that trophy because I like to close my eyes and think of your little Nicky all the time. I like to see him squirm and hear him scream, _Mama, help me_, over and over again just like he did that night. But you didn't help him, did you, bitch! You were too busy partying at a society wedding and when you came home you were too tipsy and self-absorbed to notice anything wrong with your precious little boy." Seething she spat, "I suggest you plead guilty to being a horrible mother, and may god have mercy on **your** soul!"

Jillian gripped the side of the doorway then hurried for the nearest bathroom to release the sickness building inside her.

**University Trauma Center**

**8:32 p.m. **

Sitting on his hospital bed with his cell pressed to his ear, Nick said, "My mom still isn't answering." He disconnected the call and tossed his phone on the side table. "Do you think she's okay?"

"Yes…she probably has it turned off while she's meeting with someone." Carrie crossed the room and kicked off her white and silver Sketcher slip-ons so she could join her man for a snuggle. "Let's pass the time waiting for her call with more philosophical questions."

Calling her by her chosen superpower, Nick patted the mattress. "Okay, Shape Changing Carrie, what's the next question?"

"You still haven't finalized your superpower," she reminded him while snuggling close.

"Because every time I pick one you point out why it's flawed." Staring at the ceiling above his bed for the millionth time that week, he sighed, "You made me paranoid about Invisibility…you freaked me out about Controlling All Molecules because one mistake and I doom the planet…I really thought I had it with Invulnerable to Injury until you told me the bad guys would work extra hard to get to me mentally and I wouldn't stand a chance…there's still Flying but, as you said that's fun and gets you there fast but, it doesn't give you much to work with once you're there."

"Wow…" Propping up on an elbow she stared at him. "I'm a real wet blanket sometimes, aren't I?"

"Yeah…that's why being a human torch won't work for me either," he teased. "I guess I'm goin' with Spider Webbing Power because it's versatile…it allows you to fly, to get somewhere fast, to disarm and restrain bad guys, to seal things shut, and to prevent disasters, like catching a runaway train in a web." Eyeing his fiancée he cautiously asked, "You got a problem with that one?"

"No…" Carrie flashed an approving grin. "I think it's a perfect fit." Every point dealt with controlling the world around him. "And I know you'd use it for all the right reasons."

"Unlike you, Miss Shape Changer…you just want to be able to give yourself big boobs."

"Ha!" Carrie leaned in and stole a kiss. "Mmm…you taste like fortune cookie. Or maybe lemon chicken? I should kiss you again and be sure."

Suddenly the door swung open and the night nurse, Amber, marched in. "The bed is only for the patient, thank you."

Carrie glanced over her shoulder and saw the nurse, a sexy blonde, scowling.

In his fiancée's ear Nick whispered, "That's Nurse Nasty…the one who freaked me out last night."

Posturing beside the bed the twenty-seven year old medical worker snapped, "Let me rephrase …no visitors in bed with the patient. This isn't a hotel, it's a hospital."

Slipping into litigious mode Carrie curtly asked, "Is that rule written somewhere? I'd like to see where it is written." When the woman didn't reply she said, "I'll be more than happy to move off the bed while you complete your assigned job responsibilities but once you're through, unless you can show me the hospital policy on bed infiltration by guests, then I'll be climbing back in." With that she hopped down, moved to a chair and sneered at the pushy nurse.

"I'll be back," Amber huffed, determined to find the necessary documentation and shove it in the bitchy woman's face.

Nick gushed a smile in his fiancée's direction. "Super Shape Changing Carrie just assumed the form of A Can of Whoop Ass and opened in Nurse Nasty's direction. Be prepared though, Baby…I've had enough firsthand exposure to bitchy women to know she's not goin' quietly."

**San Marino Toyota Dealership**

**8:41 p.m. **

While taking a final test drive with his father, Greg's cell phone rang. "Can you see who that is, Dad?" He didn't want to look irresponsible and answer the phone while driving a vehicle that didn't even belong to him.

Upon grabbing the phone, Scott enthusiastically remarked, "Surprise…surprise…it's Becca, the girl who you thought would be leaving you alone the rest of the weekend."

Hating that his father was right about something **again** he grumbled, "Will you answer for me?"

"Hello…" Scott purposely answered in a voice as close to his son's as possible.

"Hey, Hoj…I know I said I'd be invisible the rest of the weekend but…this guy, Parker Randolph, called and asked me to the party tonight and I'd really like to go if it's okay with you. Parker's a hottie and he's been after me for like…forever."

"Sweetheart…it's Scott. Greg's driving. I'll relay your question if you'd like."

"Oh…thanks, Mr. Sanders."

He pressed the hold button and rolled his eyes. "She wants to know if you would mind her attending the party tonight because she has a hot date with Parker Randolph…whoever he is…wouldn't surprise me if she's making him up." Then he cautioned, "You've read Vampire stuff, haven't you, Son?"

"Yeah." Greg laughed, not certain where his dad was going.

"She's asking you for permission to enter your good time…if you say yes, you'll be giving the vampiress power."

"Funny, Dad." Greg turned into the dealer lot, parked and held out his hand. "Phone, please."

Scott slapped it in his son's hand. "If I were you I wouldn't only bring a hostess gift to the party…I'd bring a wooden stake."

"Hey, Becks," Greg spoke into the phone while glaring at his father. "Of course I don't have a problem with you coming to the party with this Parker guy. It'll be great for Tawny to see you're over the shock and having a good time."

**IHMD, Inc Corporate Jet**

**8:49 p.m. **

As the two happily married couples returned to their seats to prepare for final approach, Ron asked, "So, what was so memorable about your last trip to San Fran that has the two of you so giddy?"

Gil turned to his wife and teased, "Being forced to have drinks with Sara's ex-boyfriend, Brian Anderson, and her instructing me to flirt with his wife."

Her cheeks firing to a blush Sara felt compelled to explain. "It was six months ago and I wasn't as secure back then. I bumped into my ex and found out he married the catty woman he cheated on me with, Miranda. They said they were expecting a baby and I got jealous. So, when they asked us out for drinks I wanted to feel as legitimate as Mrs. Anderson, so I said I was happily married with a baby on the way." Shaking her head she glanced over at her husband. "In hindsight it was a ridiculous and immature thing to do."

Gil slipped his arm around Sara's bare shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "But she offered such a handsome reward for being her accomplish, I forgave her." His thoughts quickly turned to the limo ride home that night and the appearance of Sara's first alter ego…Boom Boom. "So, Dad…after we celebrate will you have a limo bring Sara and me to the airport?"

Sara knew exactly how her randy husband made the segue. "And then will we be flying home alone, right?" she added.

Gil's thoughts shifted to his initiation into the mile high club on his return home from Tahoe with Sara. _Since the limo ride and the flight will occur within three hours I know I can only go once. So, which do I choose? Sex in the limo or sex in the sky? Maybe foreplay in the limo and sex on the plane?_ "Decisions…decisions."

**San Marino Toyota Dealership**

**8:56 p.m. **

"Congratulations, Mr. Sanders," Brad Stern extended his hand. "You're the owner of a brand new Bluestone Metallic Toyota Sequoia. I'll think you'll be very happy. Your wife and twins will be very secure in there and…there's plenty of room for more kids in the future."

Scott slapped his son on the back. "But that's not going to happen for a loooong time?" _Not that I can imagine you handling even two children._ "You'll make sure of that, right, Son?"

"Ugh…can I just enjoy the moment here?" Greg droned while taking the keys from the salesman. "I promise you can lecture me later."

**University Trauma Center**

**9:01 p.m. **

When Amber returned to her patient's room she saw the snippy brunette was once again curled up in bed. "I have the proof you requested." She held up a document and pointed to number five. "It says here that hospital staff reserves the right to restrict visitation."

Nick adjusted his pillow in case he needed to bury his face in it and laugh.

Carrie calmly took the paper and scanned it. "It says when deemed **medically necessary**. What about Mr. Stokes's condition warrants this restriction?"

"His incision could be damaged during close contact," she rapidly replied, determined to win the argument.

Grinning, Carrie pulled out a copy of the Patient Bill of Rights from under the blanket. "I thought you would say that. Check this out… 'First and foremost, we at UTC believe in a holistic approach to care that includes attention to the spiritual as well as physical and emotional needs of each patient'." With a sparkle in her eye she presented her closing argument to the pissed off nurse, "Patient rights are first and foremost. Mr. Stokes, also known as 'the patient', believes in the spiritual and restorative power of human touch. I'm staying at his request."

"Not while I complete my job duties." The nurse exercised what was left of her authority. "Please wait outside."

"Yeah…I don't think so." Carrie cheerily pointed to bullet number seven on the Patient's Rights document. "The patient may request the presence of a family member, or a member of your own sex during exams or procedures performed by health professionals of the opposite sex. Let's ask the patient what he'd like to do, shall we?" Carrie hopped out of bed. "Patient?"

Nick cleared his throat and replied, "I'd like my fiancée to stay for all procedures. But…uh…I need to use the bathroom and I'll be a little while so, could you please come back in a ten, Nurse?"

Clenching her paper, Amber hustled out of the room.

"Is your stomach okay, Nicky? Suddenly she worried that the Chinese food had been too much.

"No," he chuckled while breathing deep. "I get such a rush when you go Alpha, I'm turned on, and I don't want Nurse Nasty to lift the sheets and sneak a peek at something that's for your eyes only, Darlin'."

**The Sanders Home**

**9:18 p.m. **

After waking from her wine-induced snooze, Bev busied herself tidying the house.

As she was strolling down the hall she saw Greg's old bedroom door open and remembered that the room had been used earlier that day.

Upon entering she burst out laughing because the mattress was bare except for a note.

Look who remembered to strip the bed so his Mommy wouldn't bust him! HA!

With a silly smile on her face Bev left the room to fetch new sheets for the bed from the linen closet.

**The Blakes **

**9:31 p.m.**

Staring at his bed, Sean cracked open a third can of Coca Cola.

With three cans in him, he knew he'd be up all night, and if he was up all night not dreaming, what his brother said would happen, couldn't possibly occur. By morning, he was certain the thoughts Ryan planted in his head about Lindsay and soiled sheets would be purged and it would be safe to sleep again.

Just to be sure, he retrieved the jumbo Hershey bar with Almonds he'd been saving since Easter from his desk drawer. Surely three cans of Coke and four servings of sugary chocolate would keep him wired all night.

Sticking to the adage, 'it's better to be safe than sorry', he removed The Shining DVD he had asked to borrow from Celine's family's home theater collection. Luckily, she had also been nice enough to loan him one of their portable DVD players so he wouldn't have to sneak out to the family room.

Armed with an abundance of caffeine, a ton of sugar, and the terrifying movie his uncle had told him about but then forbid him to watch, Sean knew his plan was infallible.

**Becca's**** House**

**9:47 a.m. **

Submerged in a tub of bubbles Becca ran through her scheme. _First I'll have to alleviate his suspicion because if he doesn't let his guard down, I won't be able to get him a drink. I need to make sure he drinks it all quickly because if he catches on before finishing then he won't have enough in him._

Sinking a little deeper into the hot water she thought, _a shot would work best_. _After he does the shot, it will only take fifteen minutes tops for the euphoria to kick in. Then I'll have about an hour before he starts fading. Plenty of time to make him remember the fun we had as friends and show him how great it would be if we built on that. _

Staring at her smirk in the mirrored bathroom wall she assured her conscience, _sure it's sneaky but I'm okay with using a little duplicity to preserve myself._

**Fiore Restaurant – San Francisco**

**9:51 p.m.**

As they stepped out of the limousine to join Ron and Lina who had hurried inside, Gil clasped Sara's hand. "This place looks…"

When her husband stopped in mid sentence Sara nudged him. "Looks what?"

"Uh…" He readied to shove her into the limo but it was too late, they had been spotted. "It looks like a vortex for karmic payback, Honey."

"Huh?" Sara gaped at him.

"Sara Sidle!" Miranda Anderson called out as she approached. "Unbelievable! We meet again! And what a coincidence because this if the first time we've gone out since out baby was born. It's our wedding anniversary."

"Oh god," Sara muttered under her breath as her hand raced to her un-burgeoning womb. "Gil…I should be eight months pregnant."

"Yep," was all he managed.

Clasping her husband's hand, Miranda gasped. "Oh no…you should be…oh…did you…I'm so sorry."

Brian glanced solemnly at Gil. "I'm really sorry for the two of you. You were so excited about having a baby when we bumped into you last time."

Fraught with guilt, Sara forced her head up and took a deep breath. "Thank you for your kind words but…there actually wasn't a baby."

Miranda and Brian exchanged puzzled looks while Gil stared at his wife and let her climb her way out of embarrassment solo.

"I uh…" Sara forced a smile. "This is going to sound really ridiculous and immature but…here goes…" She gripped Gil's hand. "I was still pissed at the two of you when we met at the opera and when you said you were married and having a baby I got…jealous." She cringed upon hearing her pathetic confession out loud. "I said I was married and pregnant because you were, Miranda. That's what I meant when I said there actually wasn't a baby. I'm sorry for lying to you…especially now that I see you were genuinely concerned over our loss."

Proud of his wife's candor Gil pulled her close. "But the good news is…since then we really did get married and really are expecting. That night, although quite duplicitous, actually ended up giving us an honest picture of what we wanted out of life, so for that…we thank you."

Sara nodded as her smile returned, "What he said. And I'm over the whole cheating on me thing too. It seems really irrelevant now because I couldn't be happier."

"Well…" Miranda stared at Sara and flipped her golden hair off her shoulders. "I suppose I can't blame you for being jealous of **me** because I really do have it all. I mean…who wouldn't want to be **me**?" She giggled. "I forgive you for being so catty."

Sara swallowed the urge to yell, **_You _**_are calling **me** catty! _But she took the high road and opted for, "Thanks. And congratulations on the birth of your child."

"Gil…" Miranda stared at the handsomely dressed man. "Was Sara also lying when she said you were one of the nation's leading Entomologists, a real-estate developer, a philanthropist and a patron of the arts?"

"No." He suavely adjusted his bowtie. "Every last bit of that is true."

A proud papa to an extreme, Brian pulled out his wallet. "Here are some pictures of our little Candace."

"Isn't she gorgeous! And she's the **perfect **baby." Miranda enthused. "I had the **easiest** time giving birth too. Only a few hours and two pushes and our little darling was out. Hopefully you'll have an easy time too, Sara…that is if you're really pregnant this time."

Sara and Gil gazed at the beautiful little girl in the photo and tried not to think of how bitchy she'd turn out with a mother like Miranda doing the parenting. Then Gil pointed to the restaurant. "I wish we could have drinks again but we're here with my father and his new bride celebrating their marriage, so if you'll excuse us."

"Good night!" Sara said a little too enthusiastically. "If you're ever in Vegas, be sure to look us up."

"Brian has a business trip coming up in Vegas," Miranda eagerly replied. "I'll be taking the baby and our nanny and spending the week relaxing at one of those resort hotels you have down there. Let's plan on meeting up for dinner."

In that moment, after she realized she shouldn't have said something she didn't mean, Sara knew her husband was right about the spot being a vortex for karmic retribution. "Great. I'm looking forward to it."

**University Trauma Center **

**10:11 p.m. **

When his cell phone finally rang, Nick lunged for it. "Ow." He grabbed his torso. "I forgot I can't do that yet." He checked the display. "Oh good…it's my mom."

Carrie sat up with him, anxious to see what news Jillian had this time.

"Hey, Mama…can I put you on speaker so Carrie can hear too?"

"Sure thing, Honey…"

He placed the phone on the bed and grabbed Carrie's hand. "Is everything okay? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Sweetheart." Jillian's tone was cautious. "Everything's going better than expected. I say that because…I have it on good authority, that she'll being pleading guilty tomorrow."

Carrie couldn't contain her shriek of relief. "Oh thank God…now there won't be a criminal trial and Carson can get justice and closure a lot faster." She kissed her tense man's cheek. "And you too, Nicky."

"Wow…" he breathed out as shock claimed him. "I didn't expect that. I was sure she'd…wow."

Jillian hurriedly explained, "Once she knew they had found her stash she was panicked, but it was when her husband realized she was guilty that she caved. Then someone pointed out to her that prison isn't easy for a convicted pedophile and she started looking for a deal."

Snapping back to the moment Nick nervously asked, "Mama, did you speak with her?"

"I…yes." She stammered for the first time, "It was difficult…but well worth it."

Carrie could feel Nick's hand trembling in hers and she placed her free one over it. "Keep breathing, Sweetie," she whispered.

"Was she um…" he swallowed hard, "remorseful?" Somehow he felt that would make it a little easier.

"Nicky…I'd rather speak of the details when I'm there with you. I'll be home tomorrow."

"That means no," he sadly replied. "Not that I was expecting it but…" Once again he clammed up.

"It's too soon." Carrie leaned over to speak into the phone. "The only thing she could be remorseful for after getting nailed out of the blue is getting caught. A person doesn't go from enjoyment to remorse just because they're busted. In time it may come." Her voice softened, "But it may not…" She smoothed her palm over Nick's back and gave a supportive smile. "…and that's something we'll be prepared for too."

"Nicky…" Jillian's voice perked slightly. "I have someone with me that would love to say something to you."

"Andy…" He gulped, trying to swallow the lump lingering in his throat. "About the trophy, right? Yeah, I figured he…"

"No, it's Mrs. Treymore…Carson's mother. She and I have been shedding tears and exchanging hugs for an hour now. She had asked to see me and little Carson is finally resting. A few minutes ago she asked me to check if you were up to speaking with her. No pressure, Honey."

Nick looked to Carrie for confirmation and when he saw her nod he agreed. "Yeah…sure…put her on."

In unison, the anxious couple took a deep breath.

"Mr. Stokes…" the woman's frail voice jittered.

"Please…call me Nick." Just hearing her shattered tone jumpstarted his emotions.

"Nick…I just wanted to say…" In between cries she relayed her message. "Thank you…from me and from Carson…if you hadn't exposed her…we don't know how long it would have…just…thank you."

Unclamping his lips, Nick gave a jagged reply. "You're welcome, and you tell Carson… it'll get better." He pulled Carrie close and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah…you tell him I said he's still got his whole life ahead of him and she can't take that away. It's difficult now but…it'll get better." While clinging to Carrie, he choked out the last part, "You tell him…the best part of his life is yet to come and if he ever needs proof of that, he can call me. You tell him…she can't hurt him anymore." When he felt Carrie's hot tears falling on his hand, Nick let his slip. "It's really over…yeah…it's finally over."

**The Sanders Home **

**10:21 p.m. **

"Finally!" Greg jubilated when he saw Tawny stirring. From his position on the guest bed next to her he grinned. "I've been impatiently waiting to show you our new vehicle."

In a dreamy voice she answered while her eyes fluttered open, "Mmm…I love how that sounds…**our **new vehicle. The vehicle that will carry our little babies." Her hand caressed her womb as she gazed into his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Late…and not that it takes you long but…" He tugged her to sitting. "…you need to get beautified for the big par-tee, because I know you want to be H-O-T for me." Greg laughed, "Because I've got ninety minutes of spoiling left and I'd love to be spoiled by you wearing that sinful dress I see you have picked out."

After a lion-size yawn she announced, "Surprise! I've extended your spoiling until two a.m."

"Bonus Spoiling! Yes!" Greg yanked her to her feet. "Garage first because I'm really psyched about my new wheels. I thought I'd be depressed trading in my five month old Z but no…I was totally stoked! Until my dad buzz killed the moment." He rolled his eyes. "But Scotty recovered nicely by taking me out for Sonic. A cherry-limeade and a chili dog always put me in a forgiving mood."

"By any chance is there a lot of sugar in cherry-limeade, Chuckles? Oooh…I just realized I'm starving," Tawny commented while hurrying out of the room and down the hall with her hyper man. "How about a kitchen pit stop first, then garage? That way, the babies and I can eat while you're showing me the surprise vehicle."

"Oh…speaking of surprises." Holding her hand, he led her downstairs. "Becca called and asked if it was okay for her to come to the party with her date."

Tawny rolled her eyes. "Baby, the only part that's surprising to me is that she **asked** you first. Good lord…she's acting so desperate, she makes those poor starving orphans covered in flies you see on TV look content. That reminds me…I used your credit card to give them twenty dollars last week. I hope that's okay."

"What's mine is yours, Princess." He kissed her hand and smiled, "Thanks for putting up with Becca's antics. I know she's pathetic but, she's harmless…except to her self-esteem."

A heavy groan later Tawny said, "You know she's hoping you'll get tanked and be too uninhibited to say no to her when she pounces. Ugh…if I wasn't pregnant I could just wrestle her to the ground, tell her to keep her hands off my man, and settle things once and for all."

After kissing Tawny's hand again he assured her, "I won't be getting tanked, and even if I was wasted I wouldn't lose my mind and suddenly be attracted to her. I'd just be more enthralled with you." At the base of the stairs he stole a deep kiss.

"Ugh." Tawny covered her mouth. "Did you stop at Starbucks after Sonic?"

"Yeah…triple espresso, Baby." He spun in a circle. "Guess who will be keeping up on the dance floor with you!" He ended by pointing at her and winking.

"Promise me you won't do that move at the party, Chuckles. Oh…" The coffee taste on her tongue churned her empty stomach. "Oh!" With her hand clamped over her mouth she dashed off.

When Scott saw Tawny running for the powder room to vomit he joked, "So…I see you told Tawny that Becca was going to the party."

"Good one! But that's not what got her sick," Greg informed it. "It was my kiss."

"Oh." Scott raised his brows and laughed. "And that's better because…?"

Greg pointed at his dad and winked. "It's better because you finally weren't right about something."

**The Blakes**

**10:32 p.m. **

An hour into The Shining, Sean understood why Nick wouldn't let him watch the horror film…he was right, it was horrifying!

Try as he might to shut it off thought, he couldn't. He was desperate to see the ending Nick had told him about…the clever little boy retracing his steps in the snow to escape the bad guy.

So, with sugar and caffeine mixing with adrenaline he continued to stare at the screen thinking…_there's a good chance I'll be washing my sheets anyway, because this movie may scare the pee out of me_.

**Fiore Restaurant**

**10:35 p.m. **

Feeling that familiar urge again, Sara kissed Gil and said, "If you'll excuse me for a moment."

"I'll go with you, Sara," Lina cheerily announced while grabbing her clutch.

Once the women were gone, Gil leaned over the table. "It would appear the fourth time's a charm."

"Marriages all look great on the wedding day," Ron cautioned. "Hell, even La Puta Flaca was happy at our wedding. The first milestone is the day after the honeymoon…after that, it's the first anniversary. If you can make it through those two, you're good for a while. Of course, a baby on the way makes things much harder that first year…oh."

"Sara and I aren't you and Mom," Gil assured him after sipping his ice water. "We're committed to open communication and won't be keeping any major secrets from one another. Our marriage is based on trust."

**The Sanders Home**

**10:41 p.m. **

Bev and Scott, along with Tawny, hurried to keep up with Greg as he led the way to the garage. "The salesman said it's the perfect family vehicle because it can hold six kids and a ton of soccer gear."

Scott quickly pointed out, "You played soccer once in your life, Son and you hated it because…and I quote…_everyone kept kicking the ball away from me_."

Tawny covered her freshly washed mouth to stifle her laugh.

"My wife will coach and I'll be the cheerleader," Greg replied without missing a beat. "We won't be raising our kids in a gender-stereotyped environment."

"Does that mean you'll be doing your fair share of the housework?" Bev inquired while winking at her future daughter-in-law.

"Yep…" He opened the door and flicked on the garage light. "Isn't it cool?"

"Wow!" Tawny eyed the shiny new SUV. "It's huge compared to your Z. I didn't think you'd go for something like this."

"Well…" He leaned against the front and folded his arms. "I asked myself…what would Nick 'Mr. Responsibility' Stokes pick for Carrie and his first kid? Answer…something safe, reliable and big, with room for expanding the brood. Voila! Turns out…I love it too."

Tawny gave her man a big squeeze. "It's perfect…like you."

Bev watched her boy through a tear-clouded gaze. "You kids better get ready for your last night of partying. This time next year you'll be too exhausted to bust-a-move. Greg…I bought you something special for your debut as a player. It's in your old room…on top of the **freshly made bed, **ya big prankster."

**University Trauma Center**

**10:50 p.m. **

As Carrie smoothed her hands over the crisp hospital sheet she had just placed on Nick's bed, she heard the bathroom door open and turned. "Looks like that shower did wonders."

"I wouldn't go that far but…it definitely helped. I just wish I wasn't stuck here another night. Let's ditch, go home, and sneak me back in the morning." When he reached her, Nick wrapped his arms around her tight. "Seriously…let's make a dummy out of pillows and…"

"Nicky…"

"Right…my health isn't something to joke about." With that he released her and climbed into bed. "I'm never gonna sleep tonight. There's so much shit in my head…even the drugs aren't helping."

**Becca's**** House**

**10:54 p.m. **

"Oh, yeah…" Becca stared approvingly at her reflection in the tight black bustier and fitted black lace skirt. "Dressed to sin. Only one accessory missing." With a smirk on her face she snatched the vial of Liquid X from her dresser and tucked it in her cleavage.

While applying another coat of lipstick she reviewed the memory she'd remind her old friend of first…

_Approaching the scrawny brainiac teen sitting in the corner of the school cafeteria with his face buried in a chemistry text, Becca smirked. "So…we finally meet." She watched as his hands clenched the science book tighter. "Jesus…I'm not gonna bite." _

_"I've heard that before," he replied in a barely audible whisper. _

_"Do you have some sort of mental problem?" Becca asked while taking a seat at the table. "Because you look clinically depressed to me. I can spot 'em a mile away…my mom's a pro. She just got dumped by her second husband and is taking a nice long vacation in a mental hospital disguised as resort. I'm staying with my dad until she recovers." _

_"Why are you telling me this?" Greg asked while closing his book and bringing it to his chest. _

_"Oh." Becca put forth her best smile. "I've decided to befriend you and make you my special project this year. For the last two years I've picked a new kid…someone in dire need of coolness, and helped them. It boosts my karma to help the less fortunate. My dad's second wife is really into that karma stuff…she has these crystals all over the house." _

_"No, thanks."__ Opening his backpack Greg quickly shoved his notebooks inside. _

_"What's your problem?"_

_"I don't have a problem…you have a problem," he snapped while zipping the bag shut. "You're a bitch. I can spot 'em a mile away…I had a friend at my old school who was a pro." _

_Taken aback by his gruffness Becca remarked, "That's some pretty heavy baggage you're sporting, Hoj." _

_Tossing his backpack over a shoulder he froze. "What did you just call me?" _

_"Hoj…Hojem is your middle name, right?" Her smile returned. "I saw it on your homeroom records. "That's the first step in my plan…a cool nickname. Hoj...I love the sound of that and it will fit your new look." She opened her designer book bag. "I have some magazine pictures…hairstyles, some cool shoes that you'd be allowed to wear with your uniform and..." _

_"Who are you?" Greg asked while staring into the girl's piercing blue eyes. _

_"Sorry...how rude of me!" Becca tossed her hands in the air. "Rebecca Renee Turnbull," she extended her hand. "Fashion expert, style consultant, and the most popular girl in the seventh grade. But call me Becca…that's my cool nickname." She winked. "But if you turn out to be more than my freak project for the semester, I'll let you call me Becks. Only my best friends call me that." _

_"I appreciate the amount of effort you're putting into the set up but…" Greg's voice turned cold. "I'm not falling for the ruse." _

_"Ruse?"_

_"Yeah…I go to your house under the premise that you're helping me with my look and ten minutes after I get there, your jock guy friends and your bitchy girlfriends show up and have a blast tearing me apart. Thanks but…no, thanks. Find another sucker." _

_"Hey! Hoj!" She hurried after him. "You don't have to come to my house. We can go to yours!" _

_"You want to come to **my **house?" He laughed hysterically. "Right. Like the most popular girl in the seventh grade is going to hang out at the class geek's house? Right." He started walking again. "You're a piece of work."_

_"Well, it's not like people will think you're my boyfriend." She giggled. "They'll know you're my special project for the year…just like Karen Koors was and Tanya Melrose before her. You're my first guy. I'm switching to the opposite sex because after I helped Karen, she stole my boyfriend! You wanna talk bitch…she's your girl. But you, Hoj…I know you won't turn on me when I'm done making you cool. There's something in your eyes…" Her voice softened, "I know you'd never hurt me. And if you're my friend, you don't have to worry about anyone picking on you either." _

_After swallowing his fear, Greg said, "Fine…Friday, after school. My mom will be home the whole time so if you're planning on having someone follow us you can..." _

_"Great! Friday it is. And I'll be solo, I promise, because I don't like to share the spotlight." Bubbling with delight she started backing away. "I have great things in mind for you, Hoj! You'll see. You'll be my biggest success story to date." _

Twisting her lipstick closed, Becca sighed, "You were my last special project, Hoj…because I knew I'd never find someone more special than you."

**The Sanders Home**

**10:59 p.m. **

While Tawny was in the guest bathroom dressing, Greg was standing in front of the bedroom mirror staring at the clothes his mother had purchased for his big night out. "Here's what I'm thinking…" he announced in the direction of the open bathroom door. "You stuff some of my old clothes in your purse and I'll run into McDonald's and change before hitting the party."

"That bad, huh?" Tawny giggled in the bathroom.

"No…the clothes are awesome." He glanced down at the price tag dangling from the black velvet jacket just to be sure it really was a thousand dollars. "This whole outfit set her back two grand. If we return it and get the cash I figure we'll be able to keep the twins in diapers for a while."

"Let me see…" Tawny stepped into the bedroom wearing Carrie's jeweled Manolos and her favorite body-hugging purple mini dress.

"Whoa…" He hadn't seen the sexed up version of her since the night they met at Tweeters and it stunned him.

"Too much?"

"For any other occasion…hell, yeah, but perfect for tonight." He watched with a twinkle in his eye as she strutted over. "You've still got it."

Patting her belly she giggled, "Soon I'll have way too much." Placing her hands on his velvet covered shoulders she urged, "Keep the clothes. I think it means as much to your mom as it does to you to fit in and have a blast tonight. And let's face it…we won't be invited to these happening parties once we're married with two kids and driving around in a Toyota Sequoia. It's our last hurrah"

"Very true." Running his hands down the back of her dress, he groaned. "Speaking of last hurrahs…I still have one more round in me before one a.m. Mmm…five times in twenty-four hours with the hottest babe on the planet…I couldn't think of a better way to end my bachelorhood."

"So…by this time tomorrow you'll be engaged."

"I didn't say that," he chuckled while pressing his body to hers. "Between Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon…late afternoon," he added just to taunt her.

"Ooh…you're a tease!" Knowing her man well she chided, "Speaking of being a tease…number five doesn't happen until we're at the party so, back off, Hoj."

"Leaving!" He grabbed her hand.

"Aww…you're playing your cute little one-word ending in 'ing' game with me instead of Becks." _That'll really piss her off if you do it at the party._ "Can we play all night?"

"Agreeing!" he joked. "Princess…I do everything with you now instead of Becca." Stopping at his parents' door he knocked then said, "In case they're getting it on."

"No, we're not getting it on, Gregory," Bev shouted.

When he opened the door Greg showed off his date. "What do you think of this babe I created in my secret Chem lab? Personally, I think I perfected the babe formula."

Scott's jaw dropped when he saw Tawny. "You don't look very Amish tonight, Sweetheart." _If she looked that sexy when Greg met her, I can certainly understand how he lost control. _

Teasing her future father-in-law she replied, "And I looked **twice** as sexy when Greg met me…now can you forgive him for losing control?"

"Gregory…" Scott made the sign of the cross in the air. "You're absolved."

"Don't drink and drive," Bev cautioned.

"Never do, Mom." Greg gave a thumbs up. "Party on Parental Units."

"Night," Tawny added while gripping her man's hand as he shut the door. "Party on Parental Units? Oh my god you're such a geek sometimes…I love that."

"But tonight, I'm not a geek…" He removed his sunglasses from his jacket. "…I'm Slick's cooler brother, Slicker."

"Slicker?" She burst out laughing. "That's what a waterproof jacket is called."

"It's also a shrewd stylish person."

"It is not!" She rolled her eyes. "You're **so** making that up."

"Here…" He tugged her into his dad's office. "He never logs off AOL. I'll look it up in After typing in the addy and then the word, he clicked the search button. "Check for yourself."

Tawny scrolled down past the definition for 'slick' and 'slicked' to get to 'slicker'. "Greg…" Concern filled her voice. "It says the secondary definition is '**a cheat**'." She scrolled further. "Maybe we shouldn't go to the party."

"It's a dictionary, not a crystal ball." Chuckling he clicked the screen closed. "Going!"

"Panicking!" She clutched his hand and reluctantly followed him towards the door.

In the hall he surprised her with an amorous kiss. "Loving," he whispered while gazing into her beautiful brown eyes.

Her smile returning Tawny sighed, "Calming…and swooning."

"Proposing," he teased while initiating an Eskimo kiss. "**Tomorrow**."

* * *

Next chapter: Thursday morning

Thanks,  
Maggs


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's note** - _because__ there were some questions after the last chapter, I want to clarify the following: _

_Liquid X (Liquid Ecstasy) and Ecstasy are **not** the same thing, they're opposites. Liquid X is GHB (what Mike Rodgers used on Sara in Gravity) and it's a Central Nervous System depressant which often causes a euphoric feeling before the person falls deeply asleep (before it was made illegal because it resulted in too many deaths, it was often used as a sleep aid). Ecstasy, on the other hand, has stimulant and hallucinogenic properties and can make a person very hyper. I hope that clears up any confusion. And the author is not endorsing or encouraging the use of either. Thanks!_

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 29**

**September 2, 2005  
****The Blakes  
****11:19 p.m. **

_I curse Ryan for planting these thoughts in my head,_ Sean lamented as he sat in his well-lit bedroom still freaked from the terrifying movie he just finished watching.

The sugar crash leaving him hungry, he decided to head for the kitchen in search of cornbread leftovers from his mother's delicious vegetarian chili dinner.

On his way into the family room, he saw the flicker of the TV. "Mom?" he asked, while trying to think of a valid reason to be so wired this close to midnight.

Ryan jumped off the couch. "What are you doing up?"

"Uh…I'm too excited about my trip to the body farm to sleep." Sean stepped into the room and looked at the screen. "What show is this?" He watched as the two women in athletic one piece bathing suits took tubes of sunscreen from their beach bags.

"You better shield your eyes, young man," Ryan teased as he settled in for the show. "It's a series called Enchanted Island…different people come to stay at this tropical resort and once there, they lose their inhibitions. Those babes are Pauline and Mary, two kindergarten teachers from Minnesota."

Watching the two women rub sunscreen on each other Sean commented, "I hope they're using something with a high degree of UV protection…being fair-skinned women from Minnesota, they'll burn easily and skin cancer is…" His train of thought was derailed when he saw the women peeling off their swimsuits and heard his brother clapping. "Why are they…"

"Oh, yeah!" Ryan whooped. "We've got boob!"

"We shouldn't be watching this," Sean cautioned after clicking the information button on the remote and discovering the show was rated M for mature audiences due to strong sexual content.

"Duh." Ryan snatched the remote and sat on it. "And if you try to stick your hand under my ass to get it back I'll fart on you…and let's not forget mom made veggie chili for dinner so I'm packing heat."

Sean knew from prior experiences to take that threat seriously.

"Pauline's boobs are even bigger than Tawny's, don't you think?" With a silly grin Ryan said, "I should know, because I stared at Tawny's plenty…yeah…I'd have to go with Pauline's being slightly bigger but, I think Tawny's are perkier."

"Tawny was your babysitter," Sean reminded his horny teenage brother. "How could you stare at her anatomy in a sexual manner?"

"She was here babysitting my sisters, not me." He laughed hard. "Plus, she's only nine years older than me and since she's with a guy who's about nine years older than her, it wouldn't be strange to her. Heck, Mom's four years older than Dad. See…my lusting isn't perverted."

"Speaking of perverse…" Staring at the two giggling women on screen Sean quizzed, "How can this show have strong sexual content if there are only two girls and no man?"

Mesmerized by the bouncing boobies before him, Ryan answered, "Dude…the two girls are going to get it on with each other."

Experiencing that familiar clueless feeling of late, Sean asked, "Girls kiss and touch other girls?"

"Some of them do." Ryan chuckled, "And the guy who did your hair tonight likes kissing boys. Some people like kissing both."

"Have you ever kissed a boy, Ryan?" Sean innocently asked while he watched the women oiling up.

"No! And I'm not planning to in the future because that would be gross. No…I'm strictly a ladies man," he announced in his coolest voice.

"How do you know for sure you wouldn't like it?"

Without hesitation Ryan answered, "I was watching another show a few nights ago when out of the blue these two guys started going at it…Ryan junior shriveled and hid pronto, that's how I know for sure." Pointing to his crotch he laughed, "See…he likes girls."

"Oh." When Sean saw a man wearing a blue fire department t-shirt and swim trunks approach the overly affectionate school teachers he gasped, "Uh oh…it looks like there's a fire on the island."

"But not the kind you're thinking of…it's gonna be a three-way!"

"What's a three-way?"

Ryan jokingly replied, "The number one item on my adult 'To Do before I Die' list. Two girls instead of just one."

In a deflated voice Sean lamented, "Great…I was just getting used to the idea of doing strange and uncomfortable things with **one** girl in the future. Now you're telling me I have to do them with **two**." As he watched Fireman Bob strip so the ladies could coat him with sunblock Sean posed yet another factual question. "The man can't be in two places at once so, what does the other girl do when the man is engaging in sexual intercourse with one of the…" He stopped the question when it was answered for him on screen. "Oh….OH! He's giving the other one a BJ!"

After a belly laugh Ryan commented, "Yeah…Uncle Nick neglected to mention that when the guy does it to the girl it's called something else. I'll fill you in later…right now I want to enjoy the show." Placing his hands behind his head Ryan sighed, "That fireman's hose will be getting a work out tonight. Look how happy he is. See…it's every man's fantasy, Bro… not one, but **two **hot babes wanting a piece of you."

**Steffie**** Sinclair's House (Party Central)  
****11:25 p.m. **

"Where the hell are they?" Becca grumped in Shanna's ear as she stood in the living room turned dance club. The thump of the music matched the pounding of her heart and if she had to wait another minute she was certain her head would explode. "Ugh…I hope the uptight Amish girl didn't chicken out and ruin my plan. As it is I can't even take the Liquid X with Hoj because I've drunk way too much waiting for them to show."

"Door opening!" Shanna nudged her friend._ Please_ _let it be them so she'll shut up!_

"It's him!" Becca unslumped her shoulders and plastered a smile on her face. "How do I look?"

Instead of saying the first thing to pop into her mind,_ desperate and pathetic_, she opted for, "Hot and ready to party."

"Excellent…I'll be a nice change of pace for Hoj from the conservative girl he…" Her words abruptly ended when she saw Tawny, the supposedly apprehensive partier, wearing a purple tube top as a dress. "What the…" Her hair and make up were expertly done as well. "She looks like a Playboy Playmate!" _I don't believe this! No!_

Shanna took off laughing while behind Becca, Charlie salivated, "Hell…I may just risk pissing off Greg '_I Know How to Kill You and Get Away with It_' Sanders after all. Tawny is the hottest babe at this party hands down." He slapped his long-time friend on the back when he noticed her spitting nails. "Sorry, Becks…but, look around, even the straight girls are drooling over her. Somebody must have felt sorry for the hayseed and told her how to dress to impress tonight so she wouldn't be laughed at in baggy jeans and long-sleeved blouse."

"It had to be **Bev! **For once, she wanted her little boy to have the hottest date. Yep…Hoj is wearing Etro…that means Mommy Dearest footed the bill." Watching Charlie salivate over the farm girl turned porn star, a glint returned to Becca's eyes. "You know…Hoj won't be able to kill you if he's getting busy with me." Becca winked at him. "So…what do you say? Let's renew our alliance, Charles."

Grabbing a shot glass from one of the strolling cocktail waitresses Steffie hired for the night, he downed it and smacked his lips. "A little more liquid courage and I may be stupid enough to take you up on that."

"Ooh! That's it!" Becca turned to her friend to share her latest brainstorm. "I give half the Liquid X to Hoj in a shot, and the other half to the Amish teetotaler in water or soda. Ten minutes later, we come up with a way to separate them. Then, I'll be with Hoj when he's feeling no pain and you'll be with Tawny! Since she won't know she took something, she'll attribute her euphoric feelings to **you** and fawn all over you. Oh! If you could get her in bed, I could have Hoj…"

"Time out!" Charlie gaped at his long-time friend, "Do you have any idea how absolutely desperate and pathetic you sound? For crying out loud, Becks…why are you humiliating yourself over **Sanders**? Sure he has a better car and fancier clothes now, but he's still the same Dweeby Mama's Boy with a crap job."

"If I don't stop him from proposing I'll lose him forever, that's why! Just like in college when that shrew girlfriend of his kept interfering!" Pointing towards Tawny she seethed, "You know Hoj is a doormat! Do you think she's going to let him be my friend once she has a rock on her hand? No! She's going to control his every move. I have seventeen years of history with Hoj and I'm not going to let that interloper take him away from me! No…" She breathed deep. "I'll do whatever it takes to prevent that."

Rubbing his temples Charlie groaned, "Listen to you…you sound like a textbook soap opera conniving bitch."

"You audition for soap roles all the time Charlie. Think of it as a practice!" she snipped as Tawny and Greg approached. "Are you helping me or not!"

Charlie watched Tawny, looking outrageously sexy, making her way across the room and acquiesced. "I won't go near her if she's on something without knowing. That's date rape…I onlysleep with chicks who drug themselves…and I'm already in deep shit with my dad over what happened in Malibu under **those** circumstances. I'll seduce her without the help of pharmaceuticals and just to be safe, you'll have to settle for second base." He laughed, "Unless of course she jumps me, then I'll let her have her way with me."

Grinning as though she was at Tiffany's with a million dollar gift certificate, she watched the unsuspecting couple slowly make their way through the crowd. "Don't worry…I know Hoj's fragile ego…first base will be more than enough to make him dump her." She produced the vial. "But don't give it to him until I let you know it's safe for him to take it."

"I can't believe you're really going to…" Charlie slapped another shot glass down and watched Becca slip the vial of Liquid X in his pants pocket. "With friends like you he doesn't need enemies."

"Hey!" she scolded. "I'm helping make the inevitable happen sooner than later. I know what it's like to go through a painful divorce. If he marries her they'll never make it. Hell, I should have a god damn letter on my chest I'm such a hero."

Laughing, Charlie massaged her shoulders. "Yeah…I think you should have two…SB for Super Bitch."

**University Trauma Center  
****11:31 p.m. **

When Nurse Amber entered the room and saw her patient peacefully slumbering next to his shrew of a fiancée who was reading a Harry Potter book, she flicked on the lights and announced, "Time for a blood draw."

Carrie lowered the book and whispered, "He just fell asleep. Would you please come back later? Thanks."

"I'm sorry," Amber said through a shit-eating grin. "But the doctor will need to review the lab results before eight a.m. rounds in order for Mr. Stokes to be discharged tomorrow." Producing a lab kit she approached. "I need his blood."

For the first time Carrie noticed the nurse's eye teeth were longer than normal and her mind raced. _She works graveyard…she's nasty…she has freaky eye teeth…and she seems a little too excited over blood. All evidence points to her being a nasty woman who doesn't like to deal with people and hasn't had dental work…**or** a Vampiress._

**Steffie**** Sinclair's House (Party Central)  
****11:39 p.m. **

"Hoj!" Becca waved and flashed a toothy grin. "Get your ass over here already." _Because the quicker you get it here, the sooner I'll be getting a piece of it. And if I drink anymore while waiting for you I'll be too tanked to party._

In Tawny's ear Greg whispered, "Remember what I said…don't drink anything here. I don't even care if it's in a bottle with a seal. Nothing. I have water and Sprite in my mom's car if you get thirsty."

_Aww__…I love how he's blocking the fact that I went to outrageous parties like this every weekend for years._ "Don't worry, Chuckles." Glancing up she saw Becca eyeing Greg like a vulture confronted with fresh kill. _You can look, but don't even think about touching my man's ass._ "Where's your date, Becca?" she sweetly inquired while holding Greg's hand. "I can't wait to meet him."

"Ugh! I wish you could." Becca rolled her eyes. "Parker got called into surgery right as we were getting into his Porsche. Totally reminded me why I have a strict policy against dating doctors." Pecking Charlie's cheek Becca grinned. "Luckily Charles volunteered to help me have a good time tonight."

Greg's pulse notched. _Just like my father suspected, there is no Parker Randolph. Ugh! The first thing he'll do is ask me about Becca's date. Then I'll have to admit he was right **again**! God I hate that! I can just see the smirk on his face when I tell him too. Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!_

"Sweetie…" Tawny whispered, "What's with the tension? You're breaking my hand…and since it's my **left** one I'd really prefer it was healthy for its big day tomorrow."

"Sorry." He loosened his grip and smiled. "I hope your finger doesn't swell."

"You two seem a little tense. How about I get us some drinks," Charlie kindly offered. "What would you like?" _Yes, what would you like to wash down your GHB, Hoj? _

Tawny batted her eyes at Greg. "I think I want to try dancing first. We can have drinks when we're thirsty afterwards." Giggling, she glanced over at Becca. "He was giving me lessons before we came…that's why we were a little late. I'm a little uncoordinated so I was having a hard time catching on. That and I was being really shy about wearing this sexy dress his mom bought for me."_ Ha! I can't wait to see the look on your face when I'm moving my hump like nobody's business!_

Becca pointed to the sinful crowd grinding in the middle of the expansive room. "No problem, we'll wait for you and watch you dance_." Because I'd love a comedy appetizer before the meaty drama ahead. _

"Come on, Greggy!" Tawny enthused. "I can't wait to shake my groove thing."

Becca grabbed two shots from the nearest cocktail girl. "This should be good." She handed one over to her accomplice. "Talk about the blind leading the blind on the dance floor."

"Uh…Becks." Charlie pointed straight ahead. "I think Hoj had some lessons since in the last year because he's not doing his customary Geek Tribal Dance. And Tawny must be a really fast learner because…damn." He gulped his shot and smiled. "Bad news…good news. The bad news is she's shaking her ass like she's been dancing for years. The good news is, now that I'm getting faced and watching her shake her ass, I have a much stronger commitment to your devious plan." _Damn…I feel like an unruly pubescent boy again. _

**The Blakes **

**11:45 p.m. **

Upon checking the TV listing Ryan jubilated, "Yes! There's another episode of Enchanted Island coming on."

On the couch, Sean sat shell-shocked as his randy brother read the episode summary.

"Uptight twins Tara and Tana arrive on the island hoping to shed some of the stress they've accumulated from their jobs as air traffic controllers. Things begin looking **up **when they meet twins Larry and Harry, geeky video game designers from Cleveland." Ryan punched his brother in the shoulder. "It's twins on twins! This could be us one day, Bro."

Sean slowly turned to look at his twisted brother. "You're sick."

**Drew and Lissa's House  
****11:48 p.m. **

Drew was sitting at his desk reviewing the sale paperwork left by their realtor when Lissa hurried into the room with Cassie in her arms. "She ran into the bedroom…before she could even tell me what was wrong, she vomited."

"What?" He stood and crossed the room to meet them. "She was dancing up a storm just a few hours ago." Filling with concern, Drew took his daughter in his arms.

"Ow!" she shrieked upon being jostled.

Lissa winced along with her daughter. "She's said her tummy hurts real bad."

Drew gently laid her on the leather couch. "Did you take her temperature?"

"Hundred one."

After brushing his daughter's hair back he softly instructed, "Use your finger to show Daddy where it hurts."

Tears streaming down her cheeks Cassie pointed to her belly button. "It hurt a little when I was falling asleep but it went away. Now it's back again and hurts more. Am I going to miss the party tomorrow?"

"I don't know yet, Sugar." He stroked her head again. "You remember Daddy sayin' he went to school to be a doctor for a little while, right?" When she nodded he smiled. "I'm going to pretend I'm a doctor for a minute and feel your tummy. I want you to close your eyes and tell me if I touch a place that hurts?"

"Okay," she sniffled.

Lissa stepped closer fretting as she watched her husband palpitate his fingers around their daughter's abdomen.

"Ow!"

"Keep your eyes closed tight for me, Sweetheart." Drew motioned for Lissa to come closer and when she did he calmly whispered in her ear. "She's presenting for appendicitis. We need to take her to the ER."

"Daddy…" Cassie grabbed his hand. "I'm gonna throw…" The action happened before the words. "Sorry."

"That's okay, Honey." As he smoothed his palm over his daughter's clammy forehead, Drew instructed his wife, "Wake Mama and tell her to watch the kids."

Trying not to panic, Lissa hurried for the door.

"Lis! Grab Cassie and me some fresh clothes too, and bring a bunch of towels for the car." He scooped up his daughter. "Honey…I won't know if you can go to the party or not until I have a real doctor look at you. Because it's night time, your regular doctor isn't in her office so we need to see one at the hospital."

Shivering with chills she whispered, "I'm scared, Daddy."

"I promise I'll hold your hand the whole time. And hospital doctors are real nice…your Aunt Barbara is at the hospital delivering babies all the time, remember?" After kissing her forehead, he assured her, "Don't worry…I won't let anything happen to my sweet little girl."

**Party Central  
****11:55 p.m. **

Planting her hands on her narrow hips Becca barked, "How much longer is that Amish bitch going to shove her hump in Hoj's crotch!" As if she willed it with her words, the first notes of the Black Eyed Peas song, My Hump blasted through the DJs speakers. "Perfect! Now she has musical encouragement too." She grabbed another shot and downed it. "A little more tequila and at least her saccharine smile will be a blur!"

Ready for action, Charlie grabbed Becca's hand. "Time to cut in."

Out of the corner of her eye Tawny saw the enemy on approach. "As predicted, she's moving in to paw you, Chuckles."

"Ugh…I'm having the best time dancing with you." Taking Tawny's hand Greg stopped dancing. "Okay, let's…"

"Have some fun!" Tawny shouted over the pulsating music. "Give her a taste of what's she's missing out on, Baby, and follow my lead." Tawny backed up to let the newest couple on the dance floor share her space. "Is my dancing okay?" she asked Charlie with feigned naiveté. "I watched music videos for hours trying to get hip and learn to move."

Watching the delicious gyration of Tawny's hips and then the bounce of her breasts, Charlie nodded, "Oh…you definitely have it goin' on, Baby." Dying to touch her he asked, "Is your boyfriend gonna kill me if I put my hands on you while we're dancing?" _Because if I don't touch you before I die I know I'll feel my time on this planet was wasted. _

Tawny put forth her best farm girl giggle. "Of course he won't mind, you big silly! We're just dancing as new friends, while Greg dances with his old friend!"

"Well okay then." With a pirate's smile he eased himself behind her and slid his hands over her waist. As he heard the familiar lyrics…'I'm a get, get, get, get, you drunk, get you **love drunk** off my hump'… Charlie pressed his groin to Tawny's ass and thought, _Intoxicate__ me Baby._

Meanwhile, Becca was seizing her opportunity. "Hoj, when did you learn to dance like this?"

Speaking directly into her ear so he wouldn't strain his voice he proudly informed her, "I took lessons from a professional in Vegas."

"Did you eat anything before coming here?" she asked. _Because I don't want you to die on me if I drug you on an empty stomach._

"Sonic." _I can't believe she's not assaulting me yet._

The song inspiring her, Becca turned and pressed her body to Greg's. _Just like old times, Baby. How long will it take you to snap to attention I wonder? _"You seem **way **too sober."

_You seem a drink away from wasted not to mention, pathetic and desperate! But since you're not being mean to Tawny, I'll let you keep going because you're only hurting yourself. _"Unlike some of your ex-boyfriends, I don't like to drink when I'm responsible for driving a lady home."

_Excellent! No alcohol in his system and he ate_. "Do you have a cold?"

"What makes you ask?"_ Is she trying to prove she loves me by showing her concern?_

_I ask because GHB and other drugs don't mix, Honey._ "You sound stuffy. Allergies? Do you take anything for them?" She chuckled, "That reminds me…I know you don't want to drink in front of the Amish girl, but did you take anything to get you loose before you came here, Baby? Or are you on Prozac or something and can't mix?"

"Nope…my veins are pure." _And so are my thoughts. _Then he realized one part of his body didn't get the purity memo and he cursed the hornylittle beast. _Get down and stay down before she notices._

Catching Charlie's attention she gave a thumbs up to signal the plan was still on. "Looks like you still have feelings for me after all, Hojie." _Yes! We've got wood! _

_Too late! Must think of something cool to say to make her understand I don't want her._ "Hell, if a sheep was shoving its ass in my crotch the way you are, it would get the same results." When he saw her reaction Greg clarified, "I don't know that from first hand experience, I'm just guessing. I swear! I don't like farm animals! I don't even enter petting zoos because they creep me out." _What the hell is a wrong with you Sanders! A sheep! Slick would **not** have referenced farm animals when shooting down a woman. Ugh…I suck at being Slicker. Maybe my name should be Sucker. Hey! My boner's gone! Making a mental note…self-implication of risqué activity with sheep is also a fantastic boner-eradicating thought! _

And while her man was dancing with the predatory she-beast, Tawny made an offensive play against the player knocking hard at her back door. Turning, she waved her finger. "Listen up, Charles because if you don't, you will have to start worrying about what my knowledgeable boyfriend can do to you and get away with." With that she sang the song's next lyrics, "You can look but you can't touch it. If you touch it, I'm a start some drama. You don't want no drama. No, no drama, no, no, no, no drama. So don't pull on my hand boy, you ain't my man, boy, I'm just try'n to dance boy…and move my hump!"

Winking at Tawny, Charlie said, "I heard that loud and clear." Leaning over he kissed her cheek. "Thanks for the dance." Then he caught Becca's eye, "I forgot…I have this thing….over there…with that girl. Later!"

Before Becca could react, Tawny was grinding up against her. "Let's dance together," she stated in a sexy tone."Hoj can watch us." _A tantalizing tease for my man._She winked at Greg. _Yeah…this is as close to a threesome as you're ever gonna get Chuckles, so enjoy it._

_She wasn't kidding when she said she'd be spoiling me until two a.m._ Watching his first and current loves bumping breasts on the dance floor, Greg felt a sudden need to think about farm animals in precarious sexual situations.

Placing her hands on Tawny's hips to grind, Becca smirked, "Isn't this a bit risqué for an Ex-Amish girl?"

Covering her mouth Tawny giggled, "I saw something like this on the Cinemax channel once. I'll confess…I was a little curious."

**September 3, 2005  
****The Blakes  
****12:14 a.m. **

When Ryan saw Sean intently watching the Skinemax he needled, "Why are you still watching, Bro? Could it bet that you're…**curious**?"

"Stop it." Sean shifted uncomfortably and clung a little harder to the pillow he had over his lap.

Noticing the strategically placed pillow Ryan taunted, "You're sportin'!"

"Yes, I told you. Track starts Monday."

Ryan keeled over in a laughing fit. "You're killin' me."

**Party Central  
****12:17 a.m. **

Leaning against a wall watching his old dream girl and his future wife locked in a sinful grind on the dance floor, Greg wondered how much more his heart could take.

"Hoj!" Charlie handed over a shot glass and kept one for himself. "I didn't see this hookup coming, did you?" He knocked back his shot and watched Greg, who was too mesmerized by the girl play to worry about what he was drinking, do the same.

"Yuck! What was that?" Greg wiped his mouth and grimaced. "It was awful."

_A smidgen of vodka and a full dose of GHB.__ Oops! I was only supposed to give you half a dose. Me bad. _"I'm with you man." Charlie feigned displeasure while staring at his empty shot glass. "What crap vodka. Where's Steffie!" He took the evidence containing glass from the CSI's hand. "How dare our hostess serve us crappy vodka!" _Keep watching, Hoj…I have a feeling the show will look even better to you in seven to twelve minutes._ "I'll get us something better."

As Greg leaned against the wall watching Tawny and Becca get friendlier by the second he thought, _And here my Dad was worried I'd be talking over the din of the room noise…HA!...I'm speechless! And happy…and so relaxed…I'm finally fitting in at one of these parties. This is great…yeah…I feel fantastic._ Staring straight ahead, he quickly lost track of time and space.

"Hoj!" Charlie returned ten minutes later with a bottle of water and handed it over. "It's hot in here, isn't it?"

"Is it my imagination or does it seem like Becca is about to plant a juicy one on Tawny?" He rubbed his eyes to make sure.

Charlie enjoyed the view along with Greg. "Becca's so trashed I'm surprised she's still standing and Tawny…damn…she must be high on life because look at her move."

"This is soooooo surreal and soooo…" When Greg saw something sparkle out of the corner of his eye, he forgot what he was going to say. He tracked the shimmer to a girl in walking by. "Hey! Cool earrings, Girl in Black Dress!"

"Hoj! Focus on the show your women are giving you." Charlie recaptured his attention. "Apparently tonight is your lucky night, and three is your lucky number." Placing a hand on Greg's shoulder Charlie chuckled, "Unless of course you invite me to join for a little swap action instead."

"Are you **high**?" Greg asked before bursting into a fit of laughter. "You're not getting anywhere near my women….I mean woman."

Charlie couldn't help but feel for the guy. "Okay…okay I won't be a greedy SOB because this kind of stuff happens to me weekly. Have at it, Buddy." Laughing, he strolled away. "But, you better get busy!" _You're already fifteen minutes in and you'll be out of the zone in less than an hour. _

Tawny turned looking for Greg._ What the hell is he doing! He should have been over here claiming me by now!_ Finally she saw him leaning against the wall and she flashed a smile that said _I love you but I'm going to kill you if you don't get your butt over here and send the clingy chick packing! _

From his position against the wall Greg saw Tawny lovingly gaze in his direction so he waved. "Hi, Honey! You look great! **Really **great!" When he saw two other club members nod approvingly in his direction Greg's ego inflated a little more. "Yep…those are **my **girls."

Determined to freak out the farm girl and send her running from the house, Becca whispered in her ear, "Have you ever kissed a girl?"

_Uh…not without a guy stuffing a twenty in my g-string and making a request._ "Oh my gosh…I never…" _Ah! _

"OH! OH!" Greg shrieked with glee when he saw the women enter a lip lock. "Did anyone else see that!" Glancing around he polled, "Am I hallucinating or did you see them kiss too?"

Taking Becca's hand, Tawny dragged her off the dance floor to end the charade. "**Greggy**" She marched over and forced a smile. "Becca wants to go somewhere private. What do say about that?" She shoved Becca in his face. _You know the answer, Baby. Let her hear it loud and clear. Three's a crowd._ _Send her packing._ "Do it, Greg!" she accidentally said out loud.

"Uh…" Greg gazed at Tawny with tranquil eyes. "I can't believe you want to…wow…really?" He gripped the wall to steady himself. "Okay then…Sanders, party of three!"

"What?" Tawny shrieked.

Becca wasted no time grabbing her man's hand. "I know the perfect spot." _I may not be getting you to myself, but I know from working in corporate that if you get a foot in the door, you can look for an opportunity to make your case. Who would have thought the Amish girl would go for this! Then again…they are into communal living._

Right as she was about to rip Greg a new one, Tawny saw him trip and crash into another woman.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed while clinging to the stranger. "Hmm…who are you?"

"Monica Lipschitz," the sexy redhead informed him.

"I'm really sorry." Greg accented his apology with a bear hug and he teetered. "Are we still friends, Stranger?"

That's when Tawny realized Greg was wasted. "Oh, Chuckles…you've been punked." She glanced around looking for the guilty party. _There's no way Becca could have done it, so who…_" That's when she noticed a not so innocent bystander laughing at Greg's actions. "Charlie! What did you give him!" She darted across the room, but unfortunately he saw her coming and slipped into a crowd. "Hey! Get your ass back here you bastard! Tell me what and how much, right now! I'm not fooling around here, Charlie!" Terrified from the memory of a friend lapsing into a fatal coma from a bad trip at a party, she screamed, "I don't want him to die!"

Upon seeing Tawny take off after Charlie, Becca lit up like a Christmas tree. "Way to go, Charles!" she exclaimed while hurrying Greg out of the house. _How the hell did he get Tawny to chase after him?_ "Hmm…looks like your girlfriend has plans of her own, Hoj."

When Tawny finally spotted Charlie by the pool ten minutes later, she smacked him across the face. "How dare you! What did you do to him!"

Kent Goodwyn, a buddy of Charlie's who was sitting on the pool's edge sans clothes, choked on the drink he was sipping. "I'm sure you deserved that, man." Then he batted his eyes at the buxom blonde. "He's a pig, Sweetheart…how about you go for a swim with me instead?"

"Answer me, Charlie!" Tawny shoved him. "Or you won't have to worry about Greg killing you because I'll do the job myself."

Figuring he stalled long enough to give Becca a chance, Charlie held up his hands. "It was an accident, okay? I gave him **my **drink in error. It had a splash of vodka and a capful of Liquid X …two grams maybe…I'd be fine with that dose, so, he'll be fine. I confirmed he wasn't on anything and hadn't been drinking."

"Sorry… but, I don't believe your accident story! This has Manipulation by Bitcha written all over it! And you have at least thirty pounds on Greg so don't tell me **your **dose is** his** dose!"

Charlie glanced at his watch. "You know…for someone who's so worried about Becca, you don't seem to care that she's been out of your sight and with your boyfriend for over fifteen minutes after he's had **Easy Lay** surging through his veins for thirty minutes." Charlie shrugged. "But maybe I'm just the paranoid type."

"Oh my god!" Remembering Greg's warning not to run when panicked, she walked as quickly as possible toward the mini-mansion. "I was so worried about him OD'ing that I didn't even think about **that**."

Ever the opportunist, Charlie followed, hoping she'd need a shoulder to cry on later when she found Becca devouring Greg. "I'll help you look for them, Sweetheart!"

Once inside the enormous kitchen Tawny stood on a chair and gave her loudest whistle. "Has anyone seen Hoj and Becca!" The replies came fast and furious.

"Upstairs."

"Who?"

"Poolhouse."

"I think they took off in a limo."

"Forget them and come sit on my lap, Baby!"

"Who did your boobs?"

After another frantic whistle Tawny asked, "How many bedrooms does this house have?"

"Seven! All upstairs!"

"Seven!" Tawny stepped off the chair and hurried for the stairs, determined to save her man.

"Seven bedrooms?" Steffie, the home's owner shook her head. "Only if you're not counting the guesthouse. Then there are nine and that's where I saw them headed."

Charlie grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses from the kitchen counter in case he needed to ease the farm girl's pain. "Tawny…I think you're going the wrong way," he whispered, hoping the pointless time searching inside the house would give Becca enough time to commit her crime in the guesthouse so he could clean up when Tawny broke down.

**Party Central – Guest House  
****1:07 a.m. **

Lying side by side on the king size bed, Greg and Becca had spent the last twenty minutes walking down memory lane and stripping down to their underwear because Becca suggested they go for a swim when Tawny arrived. "That Christmas I spent at your house when my mom jetted off to London without telling me was my best ever, Hoj."

"Mine too." Rolling onto his back he gazed up at the ceiling and lost himself in its grainy texture. "Do you still have the charm bracelet I gave you?"

"Of course I do." She cuddled up enjoying the tender moment. "I keep it in the mother of pearl jewelry box you brought back for me from Hawaii when you went there with your parents on Spring Break." Swirling her fingertips over his cheek she whispered, "You called me every day from the phone in the hotel bathroom because you thought it was so cool to have a phone in the john."

Smiling, he turned to face her and tried to focus on her face. "I can't believe you remember that," he remarked in a tender voice.

After returning his smile, she brushed a kiss over his parted lips.

Suddenly confused as to why he was in bed with Becca, Greg absentmindedly asked, "Wait…why isn't Tawny here? Why are we…are we supposed to meet her by the pool to go swimming?"

"Don't you, remember, Hoj?" Becca began her manipulative ego-bashing plan, "Tawny said since this is the night before you get engaged she wants to sow the last of her wild oats. She wants you to do the same."

"She said that?" He searched his hazy memory. "I don't…no…"

"She's with Charlie, remember? We saw her take off after him."

"No, she …" He ran his fingers through his hair. "I remember her dancing with Charlie." His memory was cloudy…loud music, Tawny laughing, Charlie with his hands gripping her hips. "Uh…"

"**Dirty **dancing," Becca cooed in his ear. "He was behind her…enticing her…and apparently she wanted what he was offering. Don't you remember? She was giggling and having a great time. Don't feel bad, you know he gets every girl he wants…except me…because I only want you, Hoj."

"Damn…" It seemed impossible and possible at the same time. "Tawny's with Charlie..." he half-asked, half-stated. "Just for tonight?"

"Yes…to sow her last wild oats…and you're with me." Sliding on top of him Becca murmured, "Remember…Tawny took my hand and brought me to you while you were leaning against the wall watching us grind." She waited for his eyes to meet hers and when they did, she realized he was drugged. _Oh!_ _Charlie slipped you the Liquid X, that's why you're so confused. I thought it was just your fragile ego talking. _Immediately she began exploiting her good fortune."This is what Tawny wanted. She yelled at you to '**do it'**, remember? If you ask me…she's a bit manipulative."

"Right…Tawny told me to be with you…now I remember," he hypnotically murmured while gliding his hands over Becca's silky skin. "She must think I need more closure. Okay…if she wants me to do this I will…I'll do anything for her."

Pulling back, Becca recalled Charlie's words, '_I_ _won't go near her if she's on something without knowing. That's date rape…'_ "Uh…Hoj…I think this is even too much for me."

"Wait…where are you going?" he wistfully inquired while grabbing her wrist. "I don't want to be alone. I can't go back to being alone."

"You want me to stay?"

"Please…" he pleaded while wondering if he was awake or asleep.

"Well…if you insist." Deluding herself that Greg was capable of knowing what he really wanted, she straddled his hips and enticed him visually by playing with her long dark hair. "How about this? How does this feel?"

"Sooooo good." Every move propelled him further into the pleasure zone. "Are we in Hawaii?" A blissful grin appeared on his face. "Are we in Hawaii buying you another mother of pearl jewelry box?" Gripping her waist he rolled their bodies until she was against the pillows. "Or are we somewhere else?"

Reaching over she switched off the nightstand light. "It's dark. We can be anywhere you want to be." She quickly shed her bra. "Where do you want us to be, Hoj?"

In the pitch black of the room he got his bearings. "Fiji…I've always wanted to go there." Every touch of her hands sent a delicious shiver through his body. "I can't believe how good this feels. Why didn't it feel this way the other night when I was with you? Everything felt wrong that night…this feels so good." The sensation of her flesh against his was extraordinary. "Wait…when did you toss your bra? Why does it seem like I keep missing stuff?"

"You could worry about that or…you could kiss me." A delightful sigh tumbled over her lips when he pressed his mouth to her neck. "Good choice." After his mouth roamed her anxious body for a while, Becca moaned, "Mmm…what do you want to do while we're in Fiji, Hoj?"

"Anything…everything," he dreamily replied while coiling his fingertips around the lace of her thong. "This."

"My turn," she purred while knocking him back against the satiny pillows strewn about the bed.

His fingers eagerly weaved through her thick wavy hair. "Mmm…" He slurred, "I can't believe how real this dream feels."

"If you think that feels good…" She filled with anticipation. "I can't wait to see how you feel about my next move."

"Where are we again?" he groggily asked while she tugged off his underwear. "I lost track of…"

"Paradise, Baby." Throwing his boxer briefs to the ground she urged, "And I want you to tell me all about it." Greg was a natural talker but she knew GHB was notorious for increasing verbosity, so she encouraged him to lavish her with praise, "Tell me how paradise feels…how it feels being there with me."

"Incredible…" he gasped while strengthening his hold on her hair. "I love it here with you, Princess…you're so good to me…mmm...I love you, Tawny…so much and forever."

"Hoj!" Becca bolted up. "Damn you! I can't believe you just called me **her **name while I'm…"

"Huh?" In the darkness he reached out. "Why are you…" Confusion quickly rendered him speechless.

Suddenly the sound of a door flying open filled the room and the lights flashed on.

In the doorway, Tawny and Charlie stood gaping at naked Becca perched over naked Greg. Wincing from the bright light, with her hair wild, and her red lipstick smudged over her mouth, Becca looked like a vampire caught in the middle of a meal.

"Oh my God!" Tawny screamed. "You really are raping him!"

Becca wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Actually…we were just getting started before you so rudely interrupted, and even if we had done the deed already…I wouldn't rush to press any criminal charges if I were you because he** begged** me to get it on with him."

"You know that was the Blue Love talking, not Greg!" Tawny snarled.

"Look away, Sweetheart," Charlie instructed in a loving voice as he tugged Tawny close. "Don't let him see you shed a tear. Pick a shoulder."

"Get your hands off me, Charlie!" Tawny snapped.

Finally able to focus his eyes, Greg saw Charlie pulling Tawny into his chest with one hand while he held a bottle of wine and two glasses in the other. "Princess?" Images and words mingled in his fuzzy head…Tawny dancing with Charlie, her leading Becca over and suggesting they go someplace private, seeing Tawny run after Charlie, Becca telling him that Tawny wanted one night with a hunk before getting engaged. "Why are you doing this?" Greg remarked in a distant voice as his happiness morphed into despair. "Why do want him? He's just like Drew. You said you were done with guys like that, Tawny." His heart hammering in his chest, he begged for an explanation. "Why?"

While Becca wondered who Drew was and realized Tawny may not be as innocent as she pretends, she connivingly whispered in Greg's ear, "Tell her to get out. She's making a fool out of you pawing Charlie in front of you. With a body like hers, she's going to get hit on all the time by guys like him. Are you going to put up with her sleeping with every hunk who hits on her? You deserve better than that." Knowing that GHB leaves a person very susceptible to suggestion she loudly urged, "End it now before she rips your heart out like Peter did to me. End it! Tell her to go to hell!"

"I heard that!" After finally extracting herself from Charlie's drunken arms, Tawny rushed the bed. "That's it! The gloves are off, Becks! You **know **he's tripping and you're messing with his head! Get out before I throw you out!"

"I think **you're** **tripping**, girlfriend," Becca shouted back. "How dare you say **I'm** messing with his head! **You're** the one who **begged **me to keep him busy so you could run off andbe with Charlie in the poolhouse. Now that I think about it, I bet the two of you made those plans at the club this afternoon, and were counting the minutes until you could be together. Don't deny it, because I saw the two of you on the dance floor grinding and grinning."

"What!" Tawny yelled as Charlie was rendered speechless from the shock of his friend's lowest move to date. "I only ran after Charlie to find out what he gave Greg because I was worried he could die from it! Greg, tell her that we were just kidding around dancing with…" That's when she realized her man was hugging his knees and staring at her with tears in his eyes. "Oh God…Honey…no….no…it's not true. I swear it's not true. Your head's screwed up because you swallowed some GHB. You know that stuff is a trippy depressant and your brain chemistry isn't all that stable to begin with, Sweetie." She lovingly stroked his hair. "They don't call it Grievous Bodily Harm for nothing, right? It's messing you up, Honey…please believe me."_ Oh my god! He doesn't believe me! _"Greg…come on…look in my eyes. You know I'd never hurt you. You **know **that." Tawny glared at Charlie, "Now do you see why you don't give people shit without knowing what they can handle! Sure GHB can cause mild euphoria when the person is feeling good, but when they're upset what do you think happens, Charlie? It makes it worse!"

"I'm sorry, Tawny," Charlie replied, a little too late.

"I…" Anxiety gripping him, Greg lifted his hands to his head. "Nothing's making sense."

"Allow me to clear it up for you, Hoj…your girlfriend is a lying whore," Becca coolly informed him while smirking at Tawny. "I heard her tell Charlie she'd meet him in the poolhouse once she was rid of you tonight. I also heard her tell him that the thought of spending her entire life with a wimpy Mama's Boy was freaking her out and she's thinking of turning down your proposal."

"You cold-hearted bitch! And you claim you love him? You don't know the first thing about love!" Tawny raged while forcefully shoving Becca off the bed and sending her crashing to the floor. "Look what you're doing to him. You're torturing him. Stop it!"

Charlie ran across the room to grab his cohort off the ground. "She's right. Shut your mouth and get dressed. You're wasted and he's out of it. I don't need to be part of another bad scene, Becks."

"Get off me!" Becca shook loose from his grip. "You're just sucking up to farm girl so you can get in her pants! That's why you gave Hoj the G in the first place, isn't it, Charles! So, let's not get all high and mighty."

"Greg, please…" Tawny frantically wiped his tears. "She's trying to confuse you. Please…come back to me."

Try as he might to grasp the truth, it stayed out of reach. "I can't understand any of this," he slurred.

"She's another Deanna, Hoj!" Becca yelled while yanking on her clothes. "She's cheating on you and lying to your face."

Tawny shrilled, "Charlie! Get her out of here before I kill her!"

"Yo! Hoj!" Charlie clapped his hands in front of Greg's face to startle him. "Tawny told me to go to hell on the dance floor. I didn't touch her after that. Remember…I kissed her cheek and walked away." He clapped again. "Listen to me, man. Remember the shot you drank…you said it tasted like crap. It tasted likecrap because it was GHB and vodka. Alright? Tawny is telling the truth, **not Becca**. Becca's being a manipulative bitch."

"Thank you for not being a jerk your whole life, Charlie," Tawny remarked while pulling a blanket around Greg's shoulders. "Honey…" she whispered in her freaked man's ear for only him to hear. "We're getting engaged tomorrow, remember. You're the father of my babies. You know I wouldn't sleep with another man when I love you and have your babies growing inside of me. We love each other…so much and forever, remember, Honey?" Her own tears formed as she sang in his ear, "Come what may…"

"Come what may," he murmured.

"That's right," Tawny soothed. "The drugs will be out of your system in a matter of hours. We just need to ride this out and it will all be clear when you wake up?" Kissing his cheek she whispered, "Hang in there, Sweetie."

After tugging on the last of her clothes Becca snapped, "You know, I'm not buying the innocent farm girl routine anymore, Tawny. It's clear you've partied before…you dance like a pro, you curse with the right inflection, and you have knowledge of street drugs. I think you're a gold-digging tramp who realized Hoj is the only child of a doting mother with a lot of cash so you played to his sensitive side and got him to fall for you. I wouldn't be surprised if the farm girl story is a ruse and Hoj is marrying you because you're knocked up."

"Get out!" Tawny raged as she postured to tackle the witch.

"Oooh! Looks like I hit a nerve!" Becca cackled before egging her nemesis on. "You know what they say…when people get defensive it's because they're guilty as charged!"

"That's it!" Jumping off the bed, she lunged for Becca's hair. "I'll drag you out myself!"

"Let go of me!" Becca shrieked from the pain.

"I'll let go…" Tawny marched on with a clump of Becca's hair in her hand. "Right after your ass is out the door!"

Charlie looked on in amusement. "Hoj…are you aware enough to appreciate two chicks fighting over you?" When he glanced over at the bed he saw Greg had passed out so he grabbed his cell phone and snapped a picture of Tawny pulling Becca to the door by her locks. "I'll show it to you tomorrow. Maybe it will lessen your urge to kill me for causing all this."

At the door, Tawny shoved Becca out. "Don't even **think** about talking to either one of us after what you pulled here tonight! Don't even** breathe** in our direction! As far as we're concerned…you don't exist!" Grabbing the door Tawny sneered, "**Slamming!**" And then she did just that, being careful to lock it behind her. "Sorry, Greg," she announced while leaning against the wall catching her breath. "…I know the two of you have a history and she has problems but…that was** long** overdue."

"Bravo!" Charlie gave her a round of applause. "If wasn't already crushing on you…"

"Spare me." When Tawny saw Greg had collapsed against the bed she raced over. "Honey!" She slapped his cheeks. "Oh thank God…he's breathing. I'm right here, Sweetie." Glancing over her shoulder she barked, "Charlie, I need your help getting him dressed and to the car."

In a sleepy voice Greg said, "I had another nightmare, Princess…a bad one…I thought you slept with Charlie in the poolhouse…" Try as he might he couldn't get up or open his eyes. "It was the worst one yet…worse than all the Tucker ones combined. Am I still dreaming? I can't move…"

"Shhh…" Tawny kissed his cheek while tears spilled over hers. "There's nothing to worry about."

**Plaza Medical Center - Chicago  
****1:35 a.m. **

For the last fifteen minutes, Lissa had been wearing a path in the carpet of the Surgical Waiting Area while Cassie underwent an emergency appendectomy.

"Lis…please…" Drew stepped in front of her and spoke confidently, "She's gonna be fine. It's routine laparoscopic surgery…three small incisions. You'll see…she'll be herself again in a few days. I made sure the doctor and the anesthesiologist were the best of the best."

"I just feel like…" Choking on her tears she confessed, "I feel like she's being punished for our selfish behavior. When we were fighting, we were being so careless with our family's wellbeing. We came so close to losing Nicky…" she gulped, "I feel like maybe we were supposed to get a reality check by losing him and because he survived, we're going to lose Cassie to teach us a lesson."

"Now Lis…come on…you know that's not true." Instinctively he reached out to hold her. "Sorry…I…"

Her voice drifted into a sob-strangled whisper, "Hold me."

In an instant, Drew had his wife in his arms, holding her tight and stroking her hair while she cried. "There you go…you'll feel better if you let it out."

**The Blakes  
****1:45 a.m. **

Sean glanced over at his brother, who was still mesmerized by the nude action on the TV screen. "Ryan…" He said in a jittery voice, "It really hurts."

"Nah…" He pointed the screen and shook his head. "They're professionals."

"No…that's not what I mean. Look…" Sean pointed to the pillow covering his lap. "**It** really hurts."

"I'm sure it does, Dude. You've been watching naked girls for hours and unlike me, you didn't make two trips to the bathroom." Ryan couldn't resist torturing his brother. "You know…if you don't do something about it, it will explode."

"Stop it." He gripped his trendy hair and closed his eyes trying to will it away for the umpteenth time.

"Seriously…you're a science geek. You know what happens when pressure reaches an extreme within a sealed container...BAM!" When he saw Sean wince he needled, "And you were worried about getting caught washing your sheets. Ha! How are you going to explain a splattered body part all over your jammies?"

"There has to be another way!" Sean frantically exclaimed.

"If you're worried about paying me the ten bucks, I'll take it in installments."

"It's not about the money, Ryan!"

"Okay…okay. There is another way." He desperately tried not to laugh. "I heard that reading the Bible backwards wards it off but, since I like **handling **the problem the quick and enjoyable way, I can't vouch for the Biblical method." He tossed the remote on the couch and stood. "I've watched enough educational TV for one night. Don't stay **up** too late. Ha!" Once he was around the corner he stood in the shadows to see what Sean would do next. Seconds later he saw his brother make a mad dash for the bookshelf to retrieve a Bible.

There, in the family room, by the light of the late night soft-core TV, Sean began the mystical ritual, "Amen, people God's with be…"

On the way to his room, Ryan covered his mouth to stifle the riotous laughter trying to escape.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Thanks for reading and thanks Rojaji for leaving a reivew :-)

Sara and Gil will have their special time in the next chapter. I tried to run their story at the same time as the party stuff but it felt overshadowed by the party action and I didn't want that to happen. Also, it would have forced the party into a cliffhanger and I knew many people would want to kill me for that!

**Next Chapter:** Late night turns into early morning. Who will be more exhausted…Gil or Sean? LOL. Plus plenty more! **Posting:** Monday

**Maggs**


	30. Chapter 30

**Laws of Motion – Book 1**

**Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 30**

**September 3, 2005  
****San Francisco  
****1:48 a.m. **

Climbing into the limo Ron had reserved for them, Sara and Gil exuded happiness.

"With the exception of bumping into the Andersons, the night was perfect," Sara remarked while smoothing her hands over the silk of her dress. "You keep getting better and better at those slow dances, Honey."

"You're talking as if the night is over." Gil tossed his jacket and loosened his tie. "I'm pretending I'm back on nightshift and at two a.m. my work would only be half done." _Limo or plane, limo or plane…_

"I'm pretending I'm a pregnant woman who's exhausted from having a frabjous time all night after working like a dog all day…except I'm not pretending." _That really was a stupid thing to say when he's so obviously randy. You know he's been looking forward to fooling around in the limo all night. Nice going._ "Kidding! I'm wired."

"That was a fantastic poker face, Honey," Gil praised. "I have a feeling our Scrabble match in Tahoe will be a lot more challenging if you bluff that well."_ But I'll still win._

_Let's see if you feel the same after you lose._ "Soooo…" Sara snuggled up close. "What's it going to be? A little reminiscing with Boom Boom in the back of this limo or, another punch on our Mile High Club membership card?" _Pleeeeease__ pick limo! _

_Why didn't I have these offers when I was eighteen and could pull off both!_ Nibbling on his wife's earlobe Gil murmured, "I think I'd like to spend a little quality time reacquainting myself with Boom Boom."

_Oh thank God because by the time we board the plane and are safely at cruising altitude I'll be asleep_. "Excellent choice," Sara purred. "Now I hope I can remember my role." _And stay awake. _

_As long as you're awake and naked I'll be a happy man._ "Don't sweat the details, Boom Boom." He winked as he pulled out his money clip. "I'm an easily satisfied customer."

_Ain't__ that the truth._ "First things first…" She headed for the limo's stereo. "Music…a slow, steady grind." Sara tuned the dial until she came across something suitable. "Perfect." She stayed seated across from her husband, enticing him with her eyes.

Hearing the first bars of the erotic tune Gil perked up. "Nice choice." He settled back against the seat and pulled out a fifty dollar bill. "Let's see what you've got, Baby," he teased.

_Suddenly I'm getting a second wind. _She watched him eagerly waving the bill. _Hmm…could I have a thing for getting paid for my services? Would that be considered a fetish? Yeah…it definitely would and a pretty kinky one at that. _Slowly removing a rhinestone clip from her hair Sara eyed her husband seductively. _What's gotten into me? Must be the pregnancy hormones. _

"Very nice," Gil lauded. _Sometimes I still can't believe this gorgeous woman loves me. _

_I know that look…bliss._ Sara turned her back on Gil. "Care to help me with my zipper, Sir?"

He teasingly replied, "If I'm recalling the rules correctly, I'm not allowed to touch the dancer."

"You are if I ask," she quickly corrected before changing to a sultry tone. "Please help me remove my dress."

"If you insist." In one smooth move he had the zipper undone. "Oooh…black lace…always a nice surprise."

"I have a few more coming your way," Sara taunted while remembering to remove the dress slowly as Catherine taught her…the slower the better.

Reaching over, Gil tucked the fifty in Sara's bra strap. "Boom Boom…you were fantastic before but, dare I say you've gotten even better."

Her dress shed, she slid onto his lap. "You can say anything you want…" Making sure her hot breath fanned over his ear she whispered, "…because you're paying me. And since the dance club bouncer didn't come along for the ride, you can pay me for more than just dancing."

_Oh yeah…she's ten times better than the first time._ "Good to know, Boom Boom," Gil replied while gliding his hands over black lace and his wife's heated flesh. "So good." When his hands reached her hair he laced his fingers through and kissed her vigorously. _I could really get carried away with this little game. _

In a momentary snap out of character Sara panted in her husband's ear, "Get as carried away with this as you'd like because I'm really turned on."

_I hope I didn't just imagine that._ "Really?" Sara never looked sexier and he felt like a kid in a candy store.

"Yes…blame the hormones." In a flash Boom Boom was back. "What's it gonna be tonight, Baby?"

With a rowdy smirk on his face, Gil leaned in and whispered his risqué request in his eager playmate's ear using a few words he'd never utter to his wife but felt comfortable verbalizing to Boom Boom_. I can't believe I just said that out loud! My whole life I've never said that out loud. _

_I can't believe he just said that out loud. From the look on his face I can tell he's never said that out loud in his entire life. Okay... now I'm more excited than ever._ Blushing, Sara began working open her husband's shirt buttons. "Mmm…you are one hell of a naughty boy."

**The Blakes  
****2:01 a.m. **

"Sulfur burning of lake fiery the in be will place their – liars all and idolaters the, arts magic practice who those, immoral sexually the, murderers the, vile the, unbelieving the…" Sean gulped as the backwards words were comprehended forwards. The sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and the all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. "Oh no."

Clutching his Bible, Sean took off running for Ryan's room. Once there he opened the door and dashed over to the bed where his brother was slumbering soundly. Frantic, he shook him while heatedly whispering, "Wake up, Ryan! Wake up!"

"What's happening!" Ryan gasped while clutching his chest.

After a deep breath, Sean gave his brother the devastating news. "You're going to burn in a fiery lake of sulfur!"

Rubbing his eyes, Ryan sleepily asked, "Did you change the channel to the Sci Fi network or something?"

"No!" Sean flicked on the bedside lamp. "I was reading the Bible and it said those who are sexually immoral, practice magic arts, worship idols, and lie, will burn in a fiery lake of sulfur."

After a giant yawn Ryan replied, "You probably got it wrong because you were reading backwards. I don't remember hearing that in Sunday School."

"You never pay attention in Sunday School," Sean was quick to point out.

"True."

"You're sexually immoral because you admitted to leering at Tawny, and you lie all the time."

"Who hasn't lied?"

"Me!"

Ryan laughed. "Okay…but you're not normal. And even if those two are true, I'm not into magic and idol worship."

Sean grabbed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone from the nightstand. "Magic!" Then he pointed to his brother's wall which was covered in football posters and the words 'My Idols' written on a piece of green construction paper. "Idolatry!"

"Hmm…" Ryan crashed back against the sheets. "How hot do you think a lake of sulfur is? Because I don't have any problem handling a really hot Jacuzzi."

"Ryan! You don't understand." Sean tried to remain patient. "The boiling point of sulfur is 444.674 degrees Celsius."

"Uh…can you convert that to Fahrenheit for me?"

"832.42 degrees!" he exclaimed in a near panic. "**Now **do you see why I'm concerned?"

Ryan calmly said, "I'm a teenage boy who admires football players, reads Harry Potter, lies about harmless stuff, and whacks off once or twice a day. I don't think that makes me evil, I think it makes me average. Sorry…I find it hard to believe that God would get ticked enough to toss me in a sulfur lake over that stuff. I mean…where do the murders, rapists, and child molesters go if I'm getting the boiling lake for reading Harry Potter?"

"The Bible says they go to the same lake."

"Seriously? Do you think that's fair?" he quizzed. "Because I think it's lame."

Horrified, Sean covered his mouth. "It said the unbelievers go there too! Now you have **five** strikes against you."

"Fine…since I'm already hosed five times over then it doesn't really matter what I do, right?" Shaking his head Ryan informed his troubled rule-following brother, "So, here are my plans for tomorrow, Sean…I'm gonna kick off the day by **lying** and saying I'm taking a dump when in reality, I'll be conducting some **sexual immorality** with myself in the bathroom. Later, I'll be **worshipping **the Aggies with Uncle Nick, and then I plan to end the day with a chapter or two of Harry Potter **magic.**" With that, he reached over and clicked off the light. "Now, if you'll excuse me…since I'll only be getting four seconds of afterlife, I need my sleep so I can wake up rested tomorrow and live my Earthly day to the fullest."

"It's after midnight, so technically it already is tomorrow so really you should have said today unless you meant Sunday, but since the Aggies aren't playing on Sunday you had to mean..."

"Out! Now! Or I'll be able to check off murder on my sin list."

**The Sanders Home  
****2:11 a.m. **

As Tawny pulled into the driveway of the Sanders home, Charlie nervously asked from the backseat of the Mercedes, "Are you going to tell Bev I gave him the shot glass of GHB? Because I'm pretty sure she'll kill me if you do." He was still buzzing from the alcohol he downed earlier, but he was sober enough to know Mama Sanders would be outraged if she found out what he did to her precious little boy.

Once the car was parked Tawny turned around and checked on Greg, who was passed out in Charlie's arms. "How's he doing?" she asked the med student/playboy jerk.

"His pulse was fifty-six a minute ago and it was fifty-two before that." To calm her down he added, "Sixty to one hundred is the normal range, but it's not uncommon for seasoned athlete's to have resting heart rates in the forties and fifties."

"Does Greg look like a seasoned athlete to you!"

"Okay, point taken but…he's breathing fine." In a steady voice he assured her, "Seriously…I'm not worried, and since I'd be the first one to go to jail for his death, I think it's safe to say if **I'm** not worried, there's no reason to worry."

Finally she released her grip on the steering wheel and opened the car door. "Okay…get him into the house as quietly as possible." The last thing she wanted was for Scott to see Greg passed out and accuse him of being irresponsible.

While Charlie was employing the fireman's carry to move Greg, Tawny proceeded to unlock the front door. What she didn't know was that Bev had expected them to enter through the interior garage door, as was customary, and therefore she only bypassed the burglar alarm for that door, not the others, including the one Tawny was opening. "Oh no!" she gasped when the siren engaged.

"Shit!" Charlie immediately envisioned Bev killing him. "Nice going! Now I'm a dead man!"

"Like this situation is** my** fault!" Tawny snapped. "Do you** ever** think of anyone else's ass but your own?"

"Yes!" he retorted. "Thinking about **your** ass is what got me to give him the drug in the first place! I didn't do this so Becca could sleep with Hoj, I did this so I could spend some quality time getting to know you **while **Becca was sleeping with Hoj."

"Ugh…am I supposed to be flattered that you find my ass worthy of potentially killing an innocent person? You're pathetic! You're like every loser I ever dated rolled into one giant Super Loser!" Tawny yelled as she darted away from the door. "Hide over here! I don't want Scott to see Greg like this."

With Greg on his back, Charlie followed Tawny behind the bushes. "You do realize you left the car in the driveway, right?" he asked while lowering Greg to the ground. "Now they're just going to think the two of you were abducted upon opening the front door and call the cops."

"Oh, sure…**now** you grow a brain," Tawny huffed as she stood and prepared to face the music. "Ugh…bring him inside."

Scott appeared in the doorway with a phone to his ear. "False alarm," he informed the alarm monitoring company upon seeing Tawny approach. "Hi, Sweetheart. Why didn't Greg pull into the…what the hell?"

"It's not what you think," Tawny cautioned. "Greg didn't drink himself into oblivion." But before she could say more, Bev appeared in the doorway, saw Greg, and went hysterical.

"Oh my God!" She raced out the door. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"**Becca** happened," Tawny snipped as her ire suddenly returned. "She gave Charlie a vial of Liquid X to slip into Greg's drink."

Bev's heart leapt into her throat as the image of Greg in a near coma seventeen years previous assaulted her. "A student at my school died from an overdose of that last year. We need to get him to the hospital." Her eyes welled as she gaped at Charlie. "How could you do that to him?"

"I'm **really **sorry, Mrs. Sanders," he groveled while lugging Greg into the house. "I don't blame you for wanting to kill me. I never should have listened to Becca but, I was drunk…and, as Tawny has pointed out multiple times tonight…I'm a spoiled, selfish, pathetic playboy who lives off his old man's wealth and wouldn't recognize the concepts of accountability and responsibility if they bit me in the ass. That being said…as a future doctor, and a recreational drug use expert, in my educated opinion…Hoj will be just fine. I've been monitoring his vitals since he passed out. He's sleeping it off. He has about four or five more hours to go probably."

Tawny attempted to reassure Bev, "It sounds and looks scary, but he's just sleeping. He'll be fine."

Charlie gently placed Greg on the couch. "He needs to stay on his side just in case he vomits or goes into convulsions." When he saw Bev's horror notch Charlie assured, "As a med student I'm obligated to say that stuff…I don't expect it to really happen."

Bev rushed to her son and felt his cheek to make sure it was still warm because he appeared lifeless.

Staring at Tawny, Scott huffed, "Fill in the blanks for me, Honey. Where were you when this happened?"

"I was dancing with Becca," Tawny answered truthfully. "You know…keeping my enemy close. However, while I was busy watching her..." She glanced over at Charlie. "Mr. Self-Absorbed caught Greg off guard and gave him a drink. It was the only drink Greg had all night. I didn't think Charlie was in cahoots with Becca…I'm sure Greg didn't either. Becca's master plan was for Charlie to drug me and then get me into bed so she could tell Greg I'm a cheating whore."

"Oh God!" Bev's mind raced. "The babies."

"Don't worry, I'm fine." she flashed a smile in Bev's direction then grimaced at Charlie. "In a fleeting moment of moral clarity, Mr. Hollywood refused to drug and rape me."

Charlie took a seat on the edge of couch at Greg's feet and lowered his head. "Again…I'm really sorry."

Stepping over to the couch to check on Greg, Tawny shook her head. "Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Becca, she took full advantage of the situation."

His anger intensifying, Scott stuffed his hands on his hips. "Are you saying Becca raped Greg?" Then a scarier thought struck him. "What if she was intentionally trying to trap him?"

"You don't have to worry about pregnancy," Tawny assured the frantic parents. "It was oral, and she didn't get to finish the job because we busted her."

"I can't believe she was that vile," Bev angrily remarked as her stomach knotted from the thought of her son being violated. "I know Greg is a grown man but, he's still my child and the thought of anyone taking advantage of him like that…" Shaking her head she informed her husband, "I won't let her get away with this, she needs to pay."

"I agree, Honey…enough is enough." Scott scowled at Charlie. "You could have killed my son and left his unborn children fatherless. Do you understand that? Do you realize the gravity of the situation yet?" Still holding the phone he raised it. "I really don't think you do, Charlie. You're twenty-six but you have the mentality of a four year old. In the past few months alone, you had that mess in Malibu, and you had your teeth knocked out for being an ass on the field. Your father and I go way back but I'm at my wit's end here. I'm calling the cops to teach you a lesson before your stupidity ends up killing someone, yourself included. You'll have Becca to keep you company at the police station."

"Wait!" Tawny pleaded while reaching for the phone. "Trust me…I want them to pay as much as you do but, let's** really** think about this. It's up to Greg whether or not he wants to press charges, and I have a feeling he won't want to go through with it. He would have to give a reason for taking off from work to attend the trial. As a Criminalist it won't look good if he was at a wild party where illicit drugs were rampant and I think we all know that Becca would hire the best lawyer money could buy, and dredge up a lot of history that would weaken his case."

Charlie confirmed, "You've got that right and you know my father will do the same to save my ass."

Tawny appealed to Bev, "Things may come out that would damage Greg professionally and personally. Becca knows way too much about him…things he did in high school and college, and I have no doubt she'd use it all against him. He doesn't need more stress right now…he's already having nightmares." Sighing she confessed, "If she had gone all the way with him I might feel different because then we would have to worry about disease and pregnancy but, since it was limited to oral sex, I don't feel the trade off is worth it. If Greg feels differently when he wakes, I'll support him one hundred percent but…" Taking the phone she softly said, "Let's not do something we can't undo."

Bev's shoulders slumped. "I agree."

Charlie finally took a breath. "Me too. If I were Hoj, I wouldn't want to get on the stand and say I'm pissed off because the sexy woman everyone knows I tried to bag for years had her way with me. I'm no lawyer but…I think he'd have a rough time with the guys on the jury unless they were all gay."

"No one asked for your opinion, Mr. Dwyer." While understanding Tawny's point, Scott countered, "But if we wait and he does want to press charges, it could be too late."

Tawny pondered the question for a moment then said, "The drug won't be in his blood anymore, but I know for a fact that GHB stays in urine for about twelve hours, so we'll still have proof of that. Also, Charlie was dumb enough to give me the vial with his prints all over it." She smiled proudly, "Being a good CSI wannabe, I used a tissue to take it so I wouldn't put mine on it."

Charlie flashed a friendly smile. "Let the record show I'm cooperating."

Scott nodded. "Let the record show I'd be more impressed if you weren't saying that just to suck up to us hoping we won't press charges."

As Bev cradled Greg and kept her fingers pressed to his neck checking his pulse, she began thinking of ways to ruin Becca if charges couldn't be pressed.

"Proving the assault won't be a problem," Tawny grumbled. "The skank was so into her twisted fantasy she was salivating up a storm." The memory of Becca wiping her mouth with the back of her hand came rushing back. "Ugh…I'm sure he's coated with her DNA. Also, her fire-red lipstick is all over his underwear and a certain part of his anatomy." She shivered at the image of Becca looming over Greg's naked body like a hungry dog. "Lastly, she gave him a few love bites, which I'm assuming were to be used as proof he cheated on me. Can you believe that manipulative bitch! Pardon my French."

While smoothing her son's hair Bev retorted, "Don't worry…I'm thinking a lot worse about her than what you verbalized, Tawny. She was a guest in my home hundreds of times. I treated her like a daughter when her own mother couldn't be bothered to give her the time of day. To say I feel betrayed is an understatement. Becca may not go to jail for her behavior, but she's going to answer to me."

Charlie once again offered his unsolicited opinion. "Becca has always been bitchy, but since the divorce I think she's been slowly taking a turn towards full-on psycho. When Hoj showed up with Tawny and said he wouldn't dump her for Becks, I think it was the final straw. Becca doesn't handle disappointment well and she never expected him to turn her down. I'm sure it doesn't help that Tawny is a great girl and a gorgeous one at that. The bottom line is…if you guys have a rabbit, I'd keep tabs on it."

"Huh?" Tawny stared at him, her overtaxed mind unable to grasp the last statement.

Scott filled in the blank, "He's referencing a scene from the movie Fatal Attraction. When the other woman was spurned she went psycho, broke into her ex-lover's house and boiled their family's pet rabbit to send a message."

"Oh…yeah…I saw that one." Tawny quickly recalled the movie. "Before Becca goes that far she still has another hand to play…the desperate attention getting maneuver…you know, a fake suicide attempt, a car crash because she was soooo distracted from thinking about losing him." She gripped her throbbing head. "She knows Greg is sensitive enough to fall for that crap too."

Charlie nodded, "Freshman year of college, I had an ex-girlfriend slit her wrists and almost die after she caught me in bed with her sister…yeah, that really messed with my head. When I went to Cancun for Spring Break the next day, I was really out of it."

Tawny, Bev and Scott all gaped at the loser standing before them, but it was Tawny who spoke for the group. "Gee…that must have been truly awful for you, Charlie," she deadpanned.

"Yeah." He sighed, remembering how he couldn't even muster the enthusiasm necessary to judge a wet t-shirt contest with his buddies. "But after a day on the beach I chilled."

Shaking her head Tawny turned to her future in-laws. "After years of dating Charlies, can you see why I instantly fell in love with your son?" Her love for Greg overflowing, she knelt in front of his lifeless body. "He's perfect," she declared in her trademark Disney princess voice. "A true-blue Prince Charming."

A second later Charlie started coughing and jumped off the couch. "Damn…Prince Charming just cut a nasty one…" He fanned his hand in front of his scrunched face. "SBD."

Taking a step back Scott informed the group, "Greg ate two chili dogs at Sonic earlier…they always do a number on him. And Tawny, make a mental note…never feed him lentils…**ever**."

As Tawny covered her face and rose to her feet to seek refuge from the stench she heard Charlie laughing. "Laugh it up, jerk!" She spoke with Scarlett O'Hara conviction, "Greg could fart all day, every day until his gas was so bad that a permanent toxic cloud formed around him and he'd** still** be a better catch than you! You're one hundred and ten percent **pig **and I don't see any signs of you changing your swiney ways."

**University Trauma Center  
****2:51 a.m. **

Sitting up in bed watching Swimfan on his portable DVD player, Nick chomped on pretzels and sipped iced tea. He had become so caught up in the creepy thriller that he didn't realize Carrie had been gone for forty-five minutes. "That was fast," he stated without removing his eyes from the screen while she crossed the room.

"I've been gone for over forty minutes," Carrie coolly replied while walking towards him with her arms firmly folded over her chest.

Reluctantly pressing pause he stated, "The chick in this movie is a top notch psycho. She's new in school, right…and she comes on to this boy, who she knows has a steady girlfriend. They end up having casual sex in the swimming pool one night and the next day she acts like he's her serious boyfriend even though the sex was clearly no strings attached. Turns out she's got mental problems and she's goin' all 'fatal attraction' on him. The guy's an idiot…serves him right for cheatin' on his sweet girlfriend and sleepin' with someone he knew nothing about." Scooting over he patted the bed, urging Carrie to join him. "I'll start watching from the beginning for you."

Carrie remained at the foot of the bed staring down her fiancé.

"What's up, Darlin'?" he asked with concern in his voice. "You look ticked."

Taking a seat on the edge of the bed she replied, "I ran into Nurse Nasty in the cafeteria while she was on her meal break."

"What did that witch say to you now?"

"When she shot me a dirty look I decided that I had reached my limit and confronted her. I asked her why she was being so bitchy."

"Really?" Nick smiled approvingly at his fiancée. "What'd she say?"

Carrie unfolded her arms and smiled. "She told me a story about this time she was at Caesar's in the sports book area watching a Broncos - Cowboys game when she met this guy."

"Yeah…" Nick focused on Carrie's edgy smile.

"The guy was a **Cowboys fan** from **Dallas** and to make a long story short, after the game was over, they went back to her place to play a few games of their own and when she woke up the next morning he was gone. She didn't even know his real name because she had been calling him Cowboy all night." Sliding closer she asked in a cutesy voice, "Any guesses who the guy was?"

"Damn it!" Nick shook his head and snapped, "Exactly how many women did my brother screw in this town! He **swore** Tawny was the only one."

"Nicky!" Carrie jumped off the bed and railed, "It wasn't **Andy**!" It was **you**! That's why she hates you! You slept with her and disappeared without saying goodbye when she thought the two of you had made this big time connection because you both loved football, beer and meat." Exasperated by the nurse's long-winded and disconcerting story Carrie huffed, "To add insult to injury, you didn't even remember her when she walked in here the other night. That's why she was looking at you with a nasty expression. And when you caught her looming over you the first night, she was trying to get a closer look at you to make sure she had the right pig."

"What? No! She's got the wrong guy," he protested.

"Yeah? The guy she slept with had a friend…she described him as a tall African American dude named **Warrick**. And in case that's too vague…" Carrie's eyes narrowed as her speech quickened, "She said the guy had a birthmark in the shape of a Pac-man to the right of his penis, although she used a different term for the aforementioned body part."

Nick glanced guiltily at his crotch. "Uh…maybe she's confused about..."

"No, she** distinctly** remembers it because…I'm quoting her directly this time..." Carrie mimicked the nurse's grating voice, "It seemed like the Pac-man was jumping out at me in 3-D…it was mesmerizing, and I started to hear that wah-ka, wah-ka, wah-ka sound effect from the video game playing in my mind, which at the time I thought was pretty cool because it set a steady rhythm."

"That's uh…" With a sharp cough he cleared his throat. "…embarrassing."

"Tell me about it, she was having a grand old time humiliating me in lieu of you! She had me cornered and left no detail unshared, Nicky!" Carrie dropped her head in her hand. "She was laughing her ass off at me while she gave me the blow by blow, and now I have that stupid 3-D Pac-man thought in my head and that wah-ka, wah-ka, wah-ka! Ugh…you have no idea how gross it is to listen to another woman talk about doingthat act with your future husband. The only way it could have been worse would have been if she were saying that stuff in front of other people."

"I'm really sorry you had to hear that, Sweetheart." Nick's eyes turned toward the floor as he tried to place the nurse at Caesar's and various locations on his body. "But I still can't remember…did she do somethin' different to her appearance?"

"She's blonde now…she used to be red."

In his mind he changed the shade of her hair. "Okay…yeah, I still don't remember her."

"She said you were so plastered she was shocked you could get it up…her words, not mine. And, Nicky…" Carrie groaned and returned her gaze to him. "She said you left her fifty bucks for services rendered. That's what really pissed her off. You thought she was a hooker…and, unless she stunk, you underpaid her because you had two kinds of sex and she made you a sandwich…roast beef to be exact." Her voice cracking, Carrie said, "I didn't have a problem with you sleeping with a prostitute as a friend, but illegally soliciting…"

"What!" Incensed, he leapt out of bed, ignoring the burn of his incision. "I never paid for sex in my life. Why would I pay for sex? It's not like I couldn't have it whenever I wanted, or wasn't gettin' any. Carr…I swear, I didn't pay her!"

"How do you know you didn't pay her when you don't even remember her?" she snipped, having reached her limit. "The woman obviously has a vivid memory! She remembered Warrick's name, your birthmark and what kind of sandwich you ate…even the noise you make right before you…ugh." Holding her head Carrie cringed. "She specifically remembers when she woke up the next morning there was fifty bucks on the empty bed pillow under her autographed Broncos football."

Suddenly everything clicked into place. "Oh! **Oh!**" He rushed to Carrie's side. "**That **I remember! I didn't pay her for sex, we made **a bet** on the game and she won! That's why I left her fifty bucks. I'm sure 'Rick can back me up on that because he gave me a ton of shit about the bet since I made it with her when the Cowboys were down a ton of points in the fourth and that fifty was all the cash I had until pay day." The memory kept sharpening. "Yeah…the Cowboys lost and she took me back to her place to console me with roast beef sandwiches and beer." Grinning, he nodded vigorously. "Yeah…now I remember. She had a really freaky cat too."

"It was a Chinchilla," Carrie droned. "Apparently it freaked you out when you were naked because Amber recalls you shielding your privates and slurring, 'Whoa…get that furry little F'er away from my nuts'…except you said the whole f-word."

"You love me a bit less than an hour ago, don't you?" When she didn't respond he hung his head.

Carrie finally replied, "It's frustrating being the fiancée of an ex man-ho with a sketchy memory and living in the same town with his many one night stands. A total stranger loathed me by association, Nicky. I swear other women look at me funny too. I know I have an overactive imagination, but sometimes…like Diane Windermere from the PDs office for example…"

"Uh…" Nick winced at the memory of Diane running into him at the courthouse and saying she was** still **waiting for him to call and confirm what time he wanted to go to Pahrump the next afternoon…six weeks later. "Yeah…that one's probably not your imagination."

Propping up on her elbow Carrie impatiently asked, "Seriously…if you had to ballpark it, exactly how many women with grudges against you are there out there? Give me a clue so I know what I'm contending with here"

"Not many…a handful I suppose…maybe a dozen…or two," he quietly replied while somberly taking a seat on the bed. "Carrie…I was real upfront about the old me and you know I'm not that guy anymore. I understand that these situations are embarrassing for you and I'm really sorry about that, because you know it kills me to see you suffer in any way." After taking a deep breath he said, "The past is what it was and I can't go back and change anything. No more than Tawny can change who she associated with in this town. All I can do is say I'm sorry when something like this happens to you." Reaching out he took her hand. "I hope that's good enough because…"

"It is…and I'm not angry." She tugged him closer. "I'm just frustrated, because it's awkward. These women, who you couldn't even be bothered to call, get pissed at me because not only did you remember to call me, they see my engagement ring and know you're marrying me."

Nick snuggled up next to her and kissed her cheek. "I know, Sweetheart. Guys…we just beat the crap out of each other and declare a winner. Women are psychological brutal to one another and prolong the torture. Just try to put the stuff she told you out of your mind…it has nothing to do with us. I know that's easier said than done, because Greg's talked to me about similar situations with guys who recognized Tawny, but please try."

Working through her humiliation Carrie sighed, "Maybe Greg and I should start a support group."

"Thanks for being so understanding."

"Well…" Upon making eye contact she chose to push it all behind her and joked, "You put up with my scandalous past as a weapons dealer and mercenary for hire, so…"

After exchanging laughs and kisses Nick said, "I appreciate the humor."

"That reminds me…I'm not watching Swimfan," she announced. "Let's continue our all-nighter with something a little lighter."

"Did you bring A Walk in the Clouds with my boy Keanu?" _That will earn me back some good boy points._

_Aww__…he's really trying to suck up to me_. Chuckling she reached for her DVD case filled with the dozens of movies she purchased the other day. "Bridget Jones? I have both." _As if there's a chance in hell he'd say no to me after what just happened. _

"Great!" Fluffing their pillows Nick smiled. "Sara made Gris watch those. He said they were funny. Hell…if Grissom thinks something's funny then I bet I'll laugh my ass off." Watching her load the DVD Nick said, "When you start up your support group, you better invite Sara to join too. Grissom had his way with plenty of babes in this town…some with scandalous reputations."

**IHMD, Inc Corporate Jet  
****3:07 a.m. **

As Sara and Gil stepped onto the tarmac, their smiles wouldn't quit. Fresh from their limo ride into uncharted territory and ready to board a posh private jet, they felt like scandalous celebrities instead of reclusive science nerds.

"How are you ever going to stay awake at the body farm tomorrow?" Sara asked, knowing Sean would be disappointed if it had to be postponed.

With the perk of a schoolboy Gil replied, "Don't worry, I'll get a second wind once I'm around all those corpses and bugs."

"Now there's something you usually don't hear coming from a playboy jet setter." Sara took a seat and kicked off her shoes. "I'll never get used to heels."

Taking the seat next to his wife Gil informed her, "Your feet will swell during pregnancy and they'll only become more uncomfortable."

"I figure I only have to wear them to Greg and Tawny's wedding, whenever they decide to have one, and then Nick and Carrie's wedding in February." Rubbing her feet she moaned, "I already warned Carrie to go easy on me. I'm not up for wearing four inch Manuelos or whatever she gets excited over when we're walking by a window. I'll be very pregnant by then too so my balance will be even worse."

"Let me do that for you, Honey." Gil reached down and grabbed Sara's foot. "After what you just did for me, it's the least I can do."

"You're totally wired from that experience, aren't you?" She flashed a proud smile. "You'll probably crash right when we get to Wendy's in four hours."

"You're going with us?"

"No, I'm staying at Wendy's for a cooking lesson because I didn't want to sit in that stuffy hotel suite alone all day." Yawning, Sara explained, "She has some church thing on Sunday and I'll be learning to make whatever she's making for that." She yawned again. "I'm fading fast. I may end up napping on Wendy's couch while she cooks. Sean may be exhausted too because when I spoke with her earlier she told me he was so excited she hoped he could sleep."

**The Blakes**

**3:16 a.m. **

Cradling whimpering Ashley in her arms, Wendy padded down the hall to fetch a bottle of milk. When she reached the living room, she saw Sean asleep on the couch clutching his Bible while a late night soft core movie played on the TV. "What the hell?"

Knowing that Ashley wouldn't be consoled without a bottle, Wendy continued to the kitchen with plans to shut off the TV and cover Sean with a blanket as soon as she got the baby to sleep. "Mommy's right here," she soothed her baby girl. "I'm right here."

**Plaza Medical Center  
****3:31 a.m. **

Lissa clung to Drew as she watched her little girl lay motionless in the recovery room bed. "It's so hard seeing her like this, with tubes and machines." She sniffled into Drew's chest. "How much longer until she can stay awake for more than a few seconds? I know the doctor said she's doing great, but I'll feel much better once she can really tell us how she feels."

Wrapping his arms a little tighter around her, Drew whispered, "You have to remember it's the middle of the night too. She would normally be exhausted…the surgery is only exacerbating the situation."

A nurse returned with a blanket from the warmer. "Would you like to put this on your daughter, Mrs. Stokes?" In her experience, the gesture always made mothers feel like they were helping when in reality there was nothing they could do but wait.

"Yes, please." Lissa quickly took the blanket and unfurled it. "Here you go, Cassie, Honey. Nice and warm."

An Admissions Rep was the next person to approach. "Mr. Stokes…" In a soft voice she informed him, "I'm sorry to bring this up at an already difficult time but unfortunately, I'm at the mercy of rules and regulations. I'm afraid your medical insurance is no longer valid as of August thirty first, so I will need you to complete these financial forms. There are several options for you to select from regarding payment and if you don't have the funds necessary there are pamphlets on..."

"Oh, right…no…finances aren't a problem." Drew accepted the clipboard full of paperwork. "I start a new job next week and I'm guessin' the COBRA extension of benefits paperwork hasn't processed yet from my previous employer." Diffusing the tension, he smiled, "Worse comes to worse y'all can have my wife's Jag, it's parked in the ER lot. It's worth fifty grand at least, I know prices have soared since I was a Med Student but, I believe that's more than enough to cover an appendectomy." When he saw Lissa wipe her eyes Drew asked the woman, "Could you give us a few?"

"Certainly, I'll get those papers from you once your daughter is transferred to her room." The woman gave a polite smile then walked off.

"Sorry for that, Lis." Drew set the clipboard down on a chair. "I know it was embarrassing."

"The lack of insurance isn't the embarrassment, it's how it occurred." She grabbed a tissue from the bedside table. "I wasn't thinking straight when I called your boss. I put my spitefulness before my children's wellbeing." Shaking her head she confessed, "I was hell bent on making you suffer to an extreme and I turned into a vindictive bitch."

**University Trauma Center  
****4:10 a.m. **

Leaving Carrie sleeping in bed, Nick cinched his robe a little tighter and stepped into the corridor. When he saw that it was quiet on the hospital floor, Nick headed straight for the nurse's station, ready to confront his awkward past with Nurse Nasty.

Amber was busy filling out paperwork when she saw her patient cautiously approaching. In her snippiest voice she asked, "Need somethin'…**Cowboy**?"

Wishing he could avoid the unpleasant situation but knowing he couldn't, Nick forged ahead. "Yeah…uh." He noticed another female nurse, a stunning African American woman, who was trying to look busy while eavesdropping. "Amber…could we talk privately for a sec?" He pointed at the empty lounge.

"Nope." Amber sat back in her chair. "If you have something to say, you can say it in front of my best friend, Tina. I want a witness."

Tina smiled brightly. "It's been a boring night, I'd be grateful for a little excitement so, make it good…**Cowboy**."

"Uh…okay." Leaning against the counter Nick decided to take a friendly approach and flashed his best smile. "There's been a misunderstanding…a couple in fact. Like me not recognizing you…you colored your hair and I don't normally date blondes so…"

"Oh, really?" Amber tightly folded her arms across her chest as Tina pulled up a chair next to her to enjoy the drama.

"And the fifty bucks …I left it behind to cover the bet I lost to you on the football game we were watching at the Sports Book before we went back to your place. It wasn't for sex. I've never paid for sex in my life." He turned up the wattage on his smile. "But for the record…I would've had to pay you a lot more than fifty bucks because as I recall, we had a great time." Unfortunately the pain medication he was on slowed his reaction time and he didn't move quickly enough to avoid the box of Kleenex Nurse Nasty threw at him. "Damn!" The point of the box made a direct hit to his third eye. "I was payin' you a compliment!"

Jumping out of her chair Amber screamed in a whisper, "If we had a great time, then why did leave without saying goodbye and never call me again, you pig bastard!"

"Because it was no strings attached sex," he snapped while dabbing the blood on his forehead with a tissue. His thoughts turned to the movie he had just watched and he wondered if she suffered from the same mental quirk that the psycho girl in the movie did.

Gripping her pen as if it were a weapon Amber pointed it at him. "What made you think it was no strings attached sex!"

"What made you think it wasn't?" he countered, finding it impossible to believe she could think their six hours together had significance. "You picked me up in a bar, we tumbled all night and you didn't even bother to ask me my real name…sorry, but I'd hardly call that a sign of a meaningful relationship. For what it's worth, I truly didn't mean to offend you. In my mind, we both got our kicks and were parting ways as two satisfied…"

"I cooked for you!"

Surprised by her emotionality Nick calmly reminded the huffy woman, "You made me a roast beef sandwich."

Amber's temper flared. "Would you have bothered to say goodbye if I had made a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings? Exactly how many courses do you require to not be an asshole to the women you bed?" She pointed at his room door. "What kind of fancy meals does your prissy little fiancée cook for you, huh? Yeah…I bet she's a regular Martha Stewart in the kitchen, right? Probably has a lacy apron and greets you at the door wearing pearls and a smile after a long day. Pfft!"

"Actually…" A loving smile crested on his face. "…Carrie's a terrible cook," he replied without thinking. "I cook for her more than she cooks for me."

"Oh!" Amber grabbed the nearest clipboard ready to fling it, but Tina stopped her.

"Girlfriend, you need to chill," Tina warned. "You're gettin' a little too 'fatal attraction' and he's not all that. Like I told you the night you met him…you should have went for his buddy. Now that man had it going on."

Nick had reflexively shielded his face, but once he felt the coast was clear he lowered his hands. "Look…I didn't wake you to say goodbye because I got paged to go into work. But honestly, if I had said goodbye that's exactly what it would have been, because at that time in my life, one night was all I wanted. I know for a fact I didn't misrepresent my intentions, because I had accidentally misled a friend only a short time before we met and it got ugly. After that, I was real careful." Feeling confident that things were finally cool, Nick smiled, "Anyway…it never would have worked out between us 'cause I'm allergic to Chinchillas." He felt it was a harmless lie.

In a quivery voice Amber said, "You would have offered to get shots if you truly cared about me."

Gaping at the sniffling nurse Nick thought, _this woman is truly delusional._

**Becca's**** House  
****4:27 a.m. **

Stumbling into her bedroom with her friend and tennis partner Darlene guiding her, Becca slurred, "When he wakes up, he'll realize Farm Girl isn't half the woman I am." Covering her mouth she gulped, "I'm definitely going to puke."

Darlene led her pathetic pal toward the bathroom and hoped her date, who was waiting in the living room for her, would be patient while she handled matters. "Becks…you need to prepare yourself, because I think there's a good chance Hoj is going to tell you to go to hell the next time he sees you. I was there when his girlfriend tossed you out by your hair. I'm a Psychologist, remember? I assure you that was** anger** Tawny was expressing, and she wouldn't have been that angry unless you were being vicious with her."

Clutching her friend's arm Becca dreamily stated, "No…no...he won't tell me to go to hell. He **loves** me." Holding her head the room spun. "You should have heard him when we were talking about the past."

"That's just it…your chance with him is in **the** **past**." Lifting the toilet bowl lid Darlene pointed out, "Farm Girl is Hoj's present and from what I observed today at the club and at the party…they're presently very in love with each other. You told me he said if you were mean to her again he'd cut you out of his life forever and I wouldn't consider your behavior towards her tonight friendly. That chick was ticked. Say it with me…**it's**** over**."

Kneeling down in front of the bowl Becca held up her index finger to signal she needed a moment.

Darlene took a few steps back, checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror and made a mental note that it was time for another Botox treatment.

"As I was saying…" Pulling herself to her knees a couple of minutes later, Becca hobbled to the sink to brush her teeth. "If you saw the blissful look on his face when he remembered the Christmas we spent together, you would…."

"Wake up!" Tired of hearing the same broken record Darlene snapped, "He was blissful because he was drugged!" Shaking her head she headed for the medicine cabinet. "I think it's high time you start using again, my friend."

Tossing her toothbrush Becca leaned against the counter and watched Darlene hold up two bottles. "Which works quicker and best? The Zoloft or the Celexa?"

"I'm not crazy," Becca muttered while lowering her head. "I'm just lonely and I know deep down that if I could just spend some quality time with him I could get him to understand he's making a mistake with Tawny." Tears suddenly streamed down her cheeks. "That's all I wanted tonight and she wasn't going to let me near him so I had to resort to…"

"Honey…" Darlene opted for a little tough love. "Your diagnosis is Borderline Personality Disorder and as of today you've crossed the line. There's no shame in admitting you're having a problem. You had it in check for a long time but, the divorce got the best of you and you stopped taking your meds. This thing with Hoj is showcasing all of your symptoms…unstable emotions, impulsiveness, self-destructive behavior, anger management issues, a warped sense of reality, and your biggie…frantic efforts to avoid being rejected." She shook both bottles. "Pick one and start taking it after the booze is out of your system. If you chill out and act remorseful, **maybe **Hoj won't follow through on his threat when he wakes and realizes what you did."

**The Sanders Home  
****6:31 a.m. **

Before his eyes opened, a smile formed on Greg's lips as she thought, _Finally__a perfect night's sleep. No nightmares, just blissfully deep slumber and pleasant dreams of Tawny and me...must be because I'm getting engaged today…who cares why or how…I feel great…except I have to pee like a racehorse. _

When Scott saw his son's eyes pop open he stood up. "How are you feeling?"

"Fantastic." Suddenly Greg wondered why his father and not Tawny was the person he was seeing this morning. But before he could think deeper or ask more questions the urge to pee overwhelmed him and he jumped to his feet. "I need to hit the john ASAP."

"Wait!" Scott grabbed Greg's arm. "You can't yet."

That's when Greg realized he was standing in the living room wearing his party clothes and his mother was asleep in a chair and Tawny was out cold on the loveseat with her head on Charlie's lap, who was also sound asleep. "Dad…what's going on? Why are we all in the living room? Why can't I pee? Why is Charlie here? And more importantly, why is Tawny snuggled up with him?"

Scott silently rejoiced that Greg's voice sounded unaffected by the night's trauma.

The urge to go growing as strong as his need for details Greg barked, "I really need to go!"

Charlie, Tawny and Bev were all startled awake from the sound of Greg's yell.

"Are you okay!" Tawny and Bev simultaneously cried out as they darted to hug him

"Yessssss!" Charlie celebrated by jumping to his feet. "I told ya he'd be fine. You are fine, right, Hoj? 'Cause ya look great…very well rested. Remember those concert tickets I scored for you last year? Third row seats and backstage passes to…" The feel of Mr. Sanders's hand on the back of his neck shut him up.

As his mother and girlfriend came very close to squeezing the pee out of him Greg said, "Would you please tell me what's going on?"

Tawny wasted no time. "Becca gave Charlie GHB to put in your drink so she could have her way with you and you passed out and I was afraid you were going to die. We were waiting for you to wake up and decide if you wanted to press charges against them."

Overwhelmed by the information and his bladder Greg clutched his head and did a muted version of the pee-pee dance. "I…are you saying..."

"At the risk of helping myself go to jail, I'd like to make a suggestion," Charlie blurted. "Let him pee in something first. I don't know about you, Hoj, but I'm not capable of listening closely or deciding much when I'm about to wet myself."

Bev made a mad dash for the kitchen and returned with a Tupperware container in hand. "Here!" She handed it to her husband. "Go with him in case he's too confused."

Still shocked, Greg let his father lead him by the wrist into the powder room while looking over his shoulder at Tawny who he saw swiping a tear. "Dad…"

"Do you remember anything about last night, Son?" Scott asked upon shutting the powder room door. "About the party?" He removed the green plastic lid of the container and pointed to Greg's jeans. "I'll hand it over once you're ready."

"Uh…" With trembling hands Greg undid his jeans. "Dancing with Tawny." Glancing down he saw red lipstick on the waistband of his underwear. "Dad…" Weak with worry he grabbed the wall. "Tawny wasn't wearing red lipstick last night." Remembering Tawny's words, 'Becca gave Charlie GHB to put in your drink so she could have her way with you', he weakly asked, "Did I sleep with Becca?"

"No." Scott steadied his son. "Thankfully Tawny burst into the room and nailed Becca at third. Shortly after that you passed out."

"That means I was awake when Becca was…" Greg gulped as his stomach churned. "And Tawny saw me participating."

A soft knock on the door preceded Tawny asking, "Are you doing okay in there?"

"Dad…would you…"

"Sure." Scott placed the container on the counter and opened the door to switch places with Tawny.

"Hey…" she softly whispered when she saw Greg's panicked expression. "It's okay, Honey. I'm not angry with you." She quietly shut the door. "You were set up. I know you'd never…"

"I'm so sorry." Greg pulled her in his arms squeezing her tight. "We never should have gone to the party. It's just another example of me wanting something to make me feel good and causing you pain in the process. I've been doing this to you since the day we met and I won't blame you if…"

"No…no." She returned the embrace with equal zeal. "I'm glad we went. I was having a great time dancing with you and seeing you so happy. Our only mistake was not suspecting Becca would go this far and that Charlie would be stupid enough to give her an assist."

"I feel so stupid right now." His emotions building, Greg confessed, "None of this would have happened if I told Becca to go to hell earlier today. I'm an idiot…a **perpetual** idiot. My father knows that…he warned me not to say yes when she asked if it was okay that she bring her date to the party...her **non-existent** date. My dad must think I'm pathetic for letting this happen. How could he not?" Lowering his head he muttered, "How could you not, Tawny?"

Placing her palm under his chin she lifted his head, "I don't, Greg."

"Really?" He bit back his tears. "You're not just saying that because you're pregnant and scared of not being married, are you? Because of all the fish in the sea, I'm a…"

"Nice guy." Tawny gripped his shoulders. "You let her come to the party because you were being the same old nice guy who doesn't like to say no to a girl…the same sensitive guy you've been your whole life, and yeah, it bit you in the ass this time with Becca…and plenty of other times over the years." Her eyes welling she stroked his damp cheek "But you were being the same nice guy when you said no to an abortion and asked me to move in with you so you could take care of me while we sorted things out. Sweetie…I'm glad you didn't learn from previous mistakes and become a self-centered ass like Charlie. He would have broken the speed limit getting me to the clinic, and then dropped me at the curb with a wad of cash before racing to the club to make his tee time." After a tender kiss Tawny lovingly whispered, "When I accept your ring some time today it won't be because I'm desperate…because your father already offered to financially support me and the grandkids if I don't want to go through with the wedding."

"That was nice of him," he choked out.

"Yeah, where do you think you got it from? But Greg…I won't need to take him up on it. I'm not deluded, I know you exhibit bad judgment at times, but we'll work on it together. It's not a dealbreaker, okay?"

Too choked up, he nodded in lieu of words.

"Good." Tawny's smile backed up her statements. "Now…" She grabbed the container. "You need to finish business and make some decisions."

* * *

**Next Chapter:** It's FINALLY time (Sorry, Tawny, not quite yet!) to go to the body farm. But thanks to Greg's genius brain, Tawny gets a nice surprise…and so does Charlie. Ryan gets surprised when he walks into the bathroom. And that's just the beginning. **Posting:** Thursday

Thanks to Misty J for reviewing and to all for reading!

Maggs


	31. Chapter 31

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 31**

**September 3, 2005  
****The Sanders Home  
****6:39 a.m. **

When Greg emerged from the powder room holding a Tupperware container filled with urine, Charlie crashed back on the couch in front of the Sanders clan and groveled, "Come on! Do you have any idea how attractive I'll be to men in prison! Look at me…" He jumped up and turned around. "Look at my ass! I'm their dream boy. Can we **please** negotiate? Toss out some options. Tawny's pregnant and you have a crap job, Hoj…surely there's something I can buy you."

Tawny rolled her eyes. "Don't you mean that **your daddy** can buy?"

Charlie appealed directly to Tawny. "Have you thought of a honeymoon destination? My parents have a phenomenal place in Kauai. It's yours for two weeks and I'll throw in first class airfare and spending money. What do you say, Tawny?"

"I'd say I'd be afraid to stay somewhere that has your cooties."

Bev patted her future daughter-in-law's arm. "Scott and I added honeymoon expenses to the wedding budget, so don't worry."

Greg saw his father staring at him. "Fear not Daddy-O, I have the situation under control." After handing his urine to Tawny, Greg placed his arm around Charlie's shoulders. "It's your ass's lucky day, Mr. Hollywood. I'm willing to make you a different deal." He felt Charlie's shoulders relax. "I need you to call your father and his attorney. Dad…I need you to call your lawyer pal as well."

Scott was disappointed his son was selling out but he bit his tongue.

Greg saw the disappointment on his father's face and spoke directly to him. "Dad…trust me, I'm being responsible here. I have my future wife's needs to think about and suddenly I have the opportunity to creatively problem solve." A smile appeared on his face. "Charlie's dad is one of the best plastic surgeons in California."

"That, he is." Scott nodded as he returned his son's smile. "I'm sure he'd do a fantastic job with Tawny's breast reduction."

"**What!**" Charlie lowered his cell phone and gaped at Greg. "You want to negotiate my father giving Tawny a breast **reduction**. Are you out of your mind? What man wouldn't want his woman to have those beautiful breasts?"

Tawny leered at the louse. "You want to know what kind of man would support a reduction? A man who's thinking of his woman's needs before his own…a man who values his woman by the size of her heart, not her boobs...a real man. That's what you're not and Greg is…a **real **man." She pecked Greg's cheek and then stealthily whispered in his ear, "We've got the upper hand here, so please don't say anything dumb or fart."

**The Blakes  
****6:43 a.m. **

His stomach gurgling, Ryan tossed back his blanket and kicked his legs over the edge of the bed. After a few minutes of scratching various areas on his body and stretching, the teen stood and headed for the door.

Once in the hallway he saw his mother pressing an index finger to her lips and hurrying towards him, so he waited in silence for her at the end of the hall.

"Did your brother say anything odd to you?" Wendy whispered.

"He says odd stuff to me all the time," Ryan replied in a sleepy voice. "He's fluent in geek and I'm not down with the lingo."

"No…" Wendy glanced over her shoulder to make sure Sean wasn't approaching. "I mean, did he say he was having a problem? That something was troubling him? Because I saw him asleep hugging the Bible last night."

"Oh." Ryan nodded as he scratched his stomach. "Yeah…he's worried about me burning in a fiery lake of sulfur because I'm a non-believing, sexually immoral, lying, magic practicing, idol worshipper." Laughing, he added, "He's also worried his penis will explode one day. Oh, and he mentioned something about global warming but I tuned him out that time because I figure I'll be long dead by the time the planet melts." Ryan pointed toward the bathroom. "I really need to…"

"Sure, Honey." Wendy stepped to the side while pondering the wealth of information her son just bestowed on her and counting the minutes until her husband returned from his last marathon business trip.

Although he was groggy when he opened the bathroom door, Ryan snapped awake upon stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him. "Whoa…" he uttered in disbelief as he saw Sean standing in front of the counter clad in his striped pajamas with his palm full of milky white substance. "Congratulations." But when Sean began rubbing his palms together and spreading the ooze, Ryan shrieked in horror, "What the hell are you doing!"

"Warming it up," Sean cheerily replied.

"For what! Nevermind…I don't want to know." Backing away Ryan said, "You owe me ten bucks. Wash your hands before you fork it over."

Sean finally understood the cause of his brother's revulsion. "No! It's not…" He couldn't say the word so he did the next best thing…he thrust his gooey palm forward. "Smell it."

"You're **sick**!" Ryan whipped open the door and sped away.

"It smells sweet!" Sean yelled as he chased his brother waving his palm. "If you'd just give it a chance!"

"And you're worried about **me** burning in the sulfur lake!" Ryan spat as he rushed into the living room. "You're the sexually twisted freak who plays with his own juices!"

"No, you don't understand!" Sean pleaded. That's when he realized the Grissoms were standing in the foyer with his mother. "Dr. Grissom!" He rushed over. "Smell this!" He thrust his palm directly into the man's face.

"OH!" Ryan shielded his eyes. "Now you're sharing with a hairy sixty year old man. That's just…"

"Mango," Gil proudly announced before heading back for a second whiff. "With a hint of lemon."

As he ran his sticky fingers through his new hairstyle Sean smiled confidently. "It's my new hair gel…Mr. Grissom is only forty-nine…and I'll be hanging onto my ten bucks."

Ryan lowered his hands from his eyes. "Oh."

Wendy jittered a tense smile at her guests, "Ready for breakfast? I have everything set up in the kitchen."

Just then McKenna darted into the room. "Mommy! Mommy! The dog got into the kitchen garbage again and he's playing with Ashley's poopy diaper! There's white fluffy stuff and poopy all over the kitchen floor!"

Wendy nodded as she remembered putting the diaper in the kitchen garbage instead of the outside trash. "Thanks for letting me know, Sweetie." Then she turned to the Grissoms. "It's such a lovely morning, how about we have breakfast on the patio?"

**University Trauma Center  
****6:57 a.m. **

Carrying a bag of takeout from The Burrito Barn on her way to Nick's room to grab him for breakfast on the patio, Carrie saw Nurse Nasty smirking at her from the nurse's station. _Just ignore her._

As Amber stared at the petite woman wearing a trendy ecru velour track suit and cute jeweled sandals, her irritation notched. _What does she have that I don't? A diamond ring on her finger, that's what. Ugh…I hate that prissy little wench. _

Try as she might, Carrie couldn't keep her eyes from shifting to the nurse's station.

When she saw the annoying woman look in her direction Amber decided to strike the first blow. "Wah-ka, wah-ka, wah-ka, wah-ka…"

"Oh!" Carrie couldn't believe the nerve of the spiteful bitch. New to the dating game, she was completely unfamiliar with handling catty ex-girlfriends. _What do I do!_ she panicked_. In the courtroom I have no problem coming up with a retort. _So she asked herself, _What__ would Catherine do in this situation? _The answer came quickly. Facing the back of her diamond-accented left hand at the woman Carrie narrowed her gaze at the meanie and kept walking tall. "Talk to the hand, girlfriend!" she said with a degree of attitude that would have made Catherine cheer.

Unfortunately, Carrie was so busy shooting dagger eyes at Nurse Nasty that she didn't see a Dietary Tech's cart full of breakfast food in her path. "OH!" she screamed when she crashed into it and instinctively gripped its edge, sending it, and all the food, crashing down on top of her. The riotous laughter from the nurse's station while eggs yolks and jelly plastered her off-white clothing and face only augmented her mortification.

"You should have talked to the cart, girlfriend, and told it to move out of your way," Amber cackled as she feigned concern and joined the other hospital staff rushing to assist the flailing and food-covered woman.

"I'm okay," Carrie answered the security guard who was lifting the cart off her legs. Wiping maple syrup from her eyes she slowly rose to sitting.

Having heard the crash and the screams from his bed, Nick hustled into the hallway as soon as his robe was on. "Carrie!" He rushed over when he saw his fiancée covered in breakfast food grabbing the security guard's arm. "I've got her, thanks." Helping her to her feet Nick lovingly asked, "What happened, Sweetheart?"

Carrie, a kickboxing, pit-bull attorney with a penchant for slapstick comedy, would normally laugh off such an incident, but from somewhere in her subconscious cattiness was born and she snuggled up to Nick. "Hold me," she sniffled in a waif's voice while glancing in Nurse Nasty's direction. "Being in your big strong arms always makes me feel better. Oh yes…just like that…don't stop."

When Carrie sounded like a bad porn star Nick immediately knew the score and fought not to laugh. "How about we get you in the shower?"

Without budging, she giggled and spoke in a pixie voice, "I can't wait until we get back to **our** apartment, so we can linger in the shower together…like we always do…after you make me breakfast and serve it to me in bed. I love how you take such good care of me. I'm the luckiest woman in the world because while some women are bitter and lonely, I'm going to be your wife and have you spoiling me forever."

Since Amber was the only one within earshot, Nick decided to have a little fun with Newly Catty Carrie. In his sexiest voice he replied, "Mmm…you deserve breakfast in bed after what you do for me between the sheets, Baby. Yeah…nobody has ever ravaged me like you do and that thing you do with your tongue…"

"Nicky!" she cut him off and hurried into his room. Once inside she waited for him, pacing the floor.

"Was it something I said?" he innocently asked upon entering.

"Yes!" Her cheeks flushed Carrie spat, "Why would you say that in front of…"

"Because I wanted you to stop talking!" he passionately explained. "Watching you being tough and putting Amber in her place over the hospital rules was a real turn on, but hearing you act wimpy and being a catty bitch was giving me the creeps." Reaching out he grabbed her hand. "I love you because you're not a witch…plus you suck at it."

Plopping on the bed she sighed, "I'm so relieved to hear you say that because it felt really unnatural."

"Kind of like wearing scrambled eggs as a hair accessory?"

"Yeah…" Melting from his smile Carrie gushed, "Or having hash browns in your bra."

**The Sanders Home  
****7:17 a.m. **

While they were waiting for Charlie's father and the lawyers to arrive, Bev decided to make a hearty breakfast. Standing at the fridge she smiled at Tawny, "What would my grandchildren like this morning, Sweetie?"

After flashing a brilliant smile in Greg's direction Tawny answered, "Country potatoes!" She knew from the look on his face that Greg was recalling the same moment.

_"Okay…why did you say you wouldn't propose to me and that it was a stupid idea?" Tawny screamed as her heart began to crack._

_"Because I don't want my proposal to be a Krispy Kreme!"_

_"Huh?" It wasn't the answer she was expecting. "I'm not tracking." _

_Taking her hand he said, "You love that TV show, Perfect Proposal, and that's exactly what you deserve…**a perfect proposal**. Proposing to you when I'm tanked at a party with no ring would be cheap and tacky…like bringing you Krispy Kremes instead of taking you out for a nice date, was cheap and tacky. So when Catherine asked if I was planning on proposing to you tonight that's why I said it would be stupid. I don't want my proposal to be just another donut in your life." When he saw her smile return it fueled his. "I want my proposal to be…to be an omelet! And not a plain omelet…I want it to have a whole bunch of stuff in it…the works! Because nothing is too good for you!" Now she was laughing and it made his heart soar. "And it should come with juice, toast and hash browns. Wait…not hash browns, they're too ordinary. Country potatoes! You know, the ones cut up into cubes and sautéed with onions and bell peppers then dashed with a little paprika." _

"Mom…" Under the table Greg took Tawny's left hand in his. "Could you sprinkle a little paprika on the country potatoes when you make them?"

"I always do, Honey," Bev reminded her son while retrieving the requested spice from the cabinet.

"I'll be right back," Greg whispered in Tawny's ear before getting up from the table.

"Oooh!" Gushing with anticipation Tawny squealed, "This is going to be the best day of my life!"

Sitting next to the bubbly girl Charlie laughed, "Hell…if I knew country potatoes rocked your world I would have offered to take you to Denny's last night."

"Shut up, Charlie!" Tawny groused. "You're ruining my happiness buzz."

Chuckling as she fetched a carton of eggs from the shelf next to Greg's container of urine, Bev remarked, "This is going to sound very strange but, the two of you seem like you've known each other for years. Since Greg's out of the room I'll even say…you have a zany chemistry."

"I have known him for years," Tawny groaned, "His type…they're all the same. Just change the face and the name. Danny, Reg, Clive, Drew, Charlie…all cads." She chuckled to herself. "They all thought it was cool to woo an Amish girl."

"No shit…the Amish thing is definitely part of the appeal. I'd give a kidney to spend some quality time with you dressed in that conservative garb. Sorry…didn't mean to share that." Charlie eased his arm around the back of Tawny's chair. "Yeah…if only you didn't fall for Hoj before you met me. We would have been great together."

Tawny rolled her eyes. "Yeah…for forty eight hours until you dumped me for a blonder babe with bigger boobs."

When Greg returned he smacked Charlie's arm. "Don't make me give my pee to the cops." Then he placed the chocolate chip muffin he had retrieved from the counter in front of Tawny.

"Oh my God!" Tawny exclaimed as she tore the muffin to bits looking for her diamond ring.

"Didn't they have muffins in Amish land? I thought your people baked all the time," Charlie commented as he watched her frantically sift through what used to be a plump muffin but was now a pile of crumbs. "Honey…you were supposed to eat it."

Bev rested against her husband's chest and whispered, "If she got that excited over the idea of a ring stuffed in a muffin, I can't imagine what her reaction will be when Greg breaks into song tonight."

"You thought stuffing a ring in a muffin was my big plan?" Greg asked in disbelief. "You thought I passed up proposal opportunities like the beach at sunset, a romantic candlelit dinner, and basking in the afterglow in my childhood room, to propose with **a muffin** while Charlie has his arm around the back of your chair?" Which reminded him to take action, "You better get your arm off Tawny's chair before I twist it off, Pal! And if you ever call her Honey again even my dad won't be able to fix your teeth."

"Down, Hoj." Charlie quickly removed his arm and slid his chair six inches away.

"Oooh, Chuckles…" Tawny's eyes sparkled as she stared at her man. "I love it when you go all Scandanavian Bad Ass for me."

Scott burst out laughing. "His Scandanavian Bad Ass name is **Chuckles**?"

Before Charlie could join in the taunt his cell phone rang. "Ugh…it's Rehab Chick. She calls every day at seven-thirty when the phones at the center open up for outside calls."

"Aren't you going to answer?" Greg prodded when the sound of Charlie's programmed 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy' music snippet for a phone ring started to grate on him.

"Oh…yeah…of course." Charlie grabbed the phone and took the call he normally ignored. "Hi, Sweetheart," he affectionately greeted the psycho chick who almost caused him to spend time in jail and whose father was still out to kill him for what happened in Malibu. "Sorry…I can't make it to Flagstaff this weekend either…"

**Jim Brass's Car  
****7:35 a.m. **

Already an hour into the drive to Flagstaff with Heather to visit Ellie, Jim's cell phone rang. "Hey, Honey…"

"You're still coming, right? Or did something come up at work?"

Happy to know she called first thing to make sure he wasn't changing his mind, Jim warmly replied, "We hit the road before dawn, Sweetheart."

"What's the Dominatrix wearing?"

Jim glanced over at Heather and smiled at her wearing a pair of navy trousers and a colorful blouse. "She's dressed in black leather from head to toe and she brought along a variety of props just in case it's 'Career Day' at Whispering Pines and she's asked to give a demonstration."

"Yeah…maybe she can whip some sense into my roomie, Malibu Barbie. The vapid idiot is on the phone with the a-hole who gave her the shit that made her go psycho and land her in here in mandated rehab in lieu jail time. So much for listening to Counselor Bob when he says we need to sever all ties with users and suppliers."

"How are you doing with that edict?"

"The only calls I've made were to you and Tawny, because she said I could call her." After a cough she clarified, "I didn't like anyone I knew in LA and they only used me and now that I'm not there to use, they won't be missing me."

Jim breathed a little easier. "Okay, Honey…I shouldn't be talking while I'm driving seventy-five on the Interstate. I'll see you in about two hours."

**The Blakes  
****7:47 a.m. **

Still anxious over letting her son go, Wendy escorted Sean to Gil's car. "Please call me and let me know when you get there so I don't worry." She hugged her science-crazed son. "Not that I'm not a little concerned about you being in a farm of corpses but…at least you'll be off the highway."

"I'll be fine, Mom," Sean informed her before yawning.

The yawn reminded her she still had to address his late night Bible reading and porn party. She had opted to not say anything for fear of ruing the joy of his birthday trip to the body farm. Then she realized her son was watching soft core and reading the Bible at night while hanging out with his forty-nine year old best buddy and visiting corpses by day. _Where did I go wrong? _

"Mom?" His mother's embrace was so tight Sean struggled to breathe. "If you don't let go I won't be able to get into Mr. Grissom's car.

"Oh…right." She reluctantly released him. "Okay...well…have a good time, Honey." Covering her mouth she chuckled. "That sounds a little funny considering where you're going but…enjoy!"

Standing on the sidewalk Wendy waved until the car was out of sight. _I'm not a bad mother for letting my thirteen year old son hang out with a forty-nine year old man at a body farm. I'm encouraging his love of forensic science and one day when he solves the murder of the century I'll look back on this moment and think I was the best mom!_

"Wendy?" Catherine tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh…" Wendy took a deep breath. "Hi, neighbor."

**Sofia's Apartment Complex  
****8:16 a.m. **

Armed with a wealth of dirt from Tisha Simmons from Sonny's Cabaret, PI Tony Mantello strolled down the hall of building C looking for apartment 237.

"She's not home, " Sofia's neighbor Bernice Johansson, a frumpy forty year old accountant best known by her co-workers for her lack of personality, grumped as she trudged down the hall lugging groceries. Glancing sideways at the man she didn't think he looked like her irritating neighbor's type. "I guess she didn't tell you she switched from working nights to days…or that she has a new boyfriend…a bigger, younger boyfriend with freaky tattoos."

"Are you a friend of Ms. Curtis's?" Tony asked, suspecting the answer was no and hoping it was.

Yeah, right." Setting down her bags she fumbled for her keys. "I can't stand that preening witch. She's always flicking her long blonde hair off her shoulders and smirking…I'm not a big fan of skinny blondes…or people who smirk."

"I can't stand her either," Tony commiserated as part of his plan. "That bitch dumped my kid brother a while back and he's still messed up…we just admitted him to a mental health place. I was here to give her a piece of my mind but…" He moved closer and whispered, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention my visit because I want to catch her by surprise."

"Believe me, your secret is safe. I don't talk to her, at best we exchange sneers." Bernice picked up her groceries and proceeded through her open door.

"Excuse me…" Tony stood in the middle of the hall. "I know this sounds intrusive but…I'm trying to learn a little more about this nasty woman who broke my brother's heart. Could you tell me if you recognize the guy in this photo?" He reached into his pocket. "I'm thinking he's why she dumped my brother."

Returning to the hall sans grocery bags, Bernice glanced at the picture. "That's Slick…or Nick…or Stokes." She laughed recalling a fond memory. "In the end she called him Control Freak Asshole. It was quite a break up. She was in the hall in her sleazy black underwear screaming at him because he didn't want to do some kinky sex thing with handcuffs. I couldn't hear what he said to her in end but it must have been bad because she told him to step in front of a bus and die. When she went back inside I heard her throw some stuff and then I heard her crying." Grinning Bernice added, "Knowing the slut was heartbroken put me in a great mood the rest of the day."

Tony silently rejoiced that he hit the jackpot yet again. "So they were loud?"

"Is the Pope Catholic?" Bernice's disgust surfaced in her expression. "I saw and heard it all from my window. One night he started pawing her while she was trying to get the door open in her disgustingly drunken state. When they finally got inside, he took her up against the wall and I heard every one of their noises and filthy words. If I didn't know any better I would have thought someone had their TV porn blasting."

Faking an appropriate level of revulsion Tony placed his hand over his heart. "How awful to be subjected to such debauchery."

"Yeah…and that wasn't even the worst." She motioned for the man to step closer. "Once I saw them come home with another girl…a real trampy looking thing…wild red hair and a tattoo on her arm…I think it was satanic because it had some kind of star."

Tony feigned a new level of horror. "Do you think the girl was a prostitute?"

Bernice confidently nodded. "Yep…because I saw her leave about ninety minutes later and she was counting cash."

"Wow…" Tony tucked the photo of Nick inside his jacket. "Would you recognize her if you saw her?" He pulled out the photo he snapped of Tisha.

After glancing at the picture she replied, "Yep…that's the whore. I don't even want to imagine the sins they committed in there with her. Suffice it to say they'll all be burning in a fiery lake of sulfur on judgment day. Ugh…your brother is much better off without Slut-fia, it's a shame he doesn't realize she did him a favor dumping him."

"Thank you, Ma'am. I'm hoping he'll realize that now that we have him in intensive therapy." Tony flashed a gracious smile. "If my family were to sue Ms. Curtis for damages would you be willing to speak in court about the things you just told me?"

"Are you kidding?" A delicious smirk appeared on Bernice's lips. "It would be my pleasure."

**The Sanders Home  
****9:03 a.m. **

While fathers, sons and lawyers were in Scott's office negotiating a cost-free breast reduction in exchange for Greg's urine, and Bev was out running errands, Tawny sat in the sunny living room excitedly perusing the ton of maternity and baby catalogs her future mother-in-law had compiled.

With every turn of the page Tawny's excitement grew and when she saw Bev had circled a little pop-up sun shelter and had written the words '_perfect for when you visit and take the kids to the beach_' she squealed with delight. In an instant she imagined their new Sequoia packed full and the twins locked in their matching car seats as she and Greg set out for San Marino to visit the folks.

Closing her eyes she replayed the dream with twin girls, then twin boys and then one of each. The children always had brown eyes, tufts of blonde hair and Greg's adorable smile. Soon her exhaustion caught up with her and she was dozing on the couch so soundly that she thought the doorbell was in her dream.

When Greg entered the living room to ask Tawny why she wasn't answering the door he saw her curled up on the couch clutching a baby supply magazine. With a smile planted on his face he proceeded to the door and opened it without peering through the peephole.

"I know you're pissed and rightly so, but please hear me out," Becca breathlessly greeted. "Please…just five minutes, that's all I'm asking. Please."

The sight of Becca's lips coated in red triggered the memory of the same lipstick smeared on his underwear and body. "Go to hell," he slammed the door and rested against it.

"Hoj! Please! I'm sorry!" She banged on the door. "I know I was wrong…really, really wrong. I was drunk and desperate. I admit I'm pathetic! Please don't shut me out. You're the only one who's never shut me out."

When he heard the emotion in her voice Greg fought to stand his ground. "I told you if you were mean to Tawny again then you were out of my life."

"I know, but we have fifteen years of history! I know some of it sucked, but how much really? Ten percent tops, last night being the lowest moment. That leaves ninety percent of fifteen years. You're the genius, you do the math. I'm begging you to still be my friend. Just friends. Please!"

Glancing over at the couch he wished Tawny would wake up and handle the situation.

"Look through the peephole, Hoj. I'm holding my prescription. I'm going back on my medication, I came here to take the pill in front of you. I called my therapist, I have an appointment Wednesday. Please...I'll do anything."

Desperate to keep her from ruining the proposal later, he opened the door. "Anything?"

"Yes!"

With tears in her eyes Becca shook her pill bottle. "May I have a glass of water?"

"Come in," he huffed. "But keep your voice down. Tawny's asleep on the couch because she had a rough night worrying whether or not I was going to lapse into a coma."

"I made sure it was safe for you…I asked you a bunch of questions, remember? You said you hadn't drunk or taken anything else…and you had eaten." She lowered her head. "I know…that doesn't make it any less wrong. I just wanted you to know I'd never hurt you."

"What!" he angrily whispered. "You violated my body when I was drugged! When you knew I loved Tawny and would be proposing to her this weekend. Then you berated Tawny and tried to make me dump her while I couldn't think straight. Does **any **of that sound like you** not** hurting me? Yes, we have fifteen years of history and because of that…it **hurt** when I found out what you did!"

Swiping her tears Becca choked out an explanation. "In my warped head it didn't seem hurtful at the time. I just wanted to spend some time alone with you and then once we were there reminiscing, I kept falling harder and getting more desperate to keep you. When I finally realized Charlie had given you the GHB I pulled away but you grabbed my wrist and said you didn't want to be alone…and even though I knew there was a strong possibility you didn't mean it…when you said you wanted to be with me I was so happy. I wanted you to finish what you started at my house the other night because it felt so good, and in my head I really thought you'd enjoy it too. And you were enjoying it…" She sniffled, "Because you were out of it and thought I was Tawny. You even called me by her name."

"I did?" The new information alleviated some of his guilt.

Wiping her tears she nodded. "I know I've lost my chance for something more but, I'm desperate to keep what I had with you…friendship. Please…"

"Becca…" When he saw she was wearing the friendship bracelet he had given her in high school, Greg knew she wasn't going to give up without a fight, and that she'd still be fighting to preserve their friendship that night at the club when his attention needed to be focused on the proposal. "I…" Greg gripped his head and began formulating a plan. "Wait here…I'll get you water."

"Thanks."

He pointed at her. "I'm serious. If you move from that spot, I'm throwing you out of the house and my life. Just freeze…right there."

"Freezing," she squeaked.

While Becca was standing still as a statue her cell phone rang. With jittery hands she sorted through her purse to find it and in the process accidentally turned her hobo bag upside down, sending its contents across the floor. "Dammit!" Bending down she frantically picked up everything within reach while her cell kept ringing.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Tawny shouted from living room. "Did you break into the house?" In her mind she saw Becca boiling a bunny in the kitchen. "Get out!"

"Hoj let me in," Becca calmly explained while rising from her knees.

"How?" Tawny snapped. "He's with his father in the office."

Becca's gaze dropped to the magazine Tawny was clutching. "Oh my god…you really are pregnant. That's why he's proposing. Was I right? Did you manipulate and trap him?"

"No," Greg corrected while he approached holding a bottle of water. "I manipulated and trapped her. Now that we've that cleared up, let's get back to business." He held out the bottle and coldly remarked, "Unlike last night…I want to see you swallow." Reaching over he took Tawny's hand and gave it a squeeze, silently asking her to trust him.

Shaking from the latest shock Becca popped open the pill bottle and fished out a Zoloft. In a meek voice she announced, "Congratulations to the both of you." She tossed the pill in her mouth, accepted the bottle and downed the pill with a swig of water.

Greg whispered in Tawny's ear. "Can you give me a minute?"

"Sure, Sweetie." Without saying a word to Becca, Tawny went upstairs, trusting that her man would handle things.

Once Tawny was gone, Greg held up three fingers. "Here's the deal. You have to do three things to earn back my trust. If you do these things, then **a couple of months from now** I'll reassess if I can still maintain a friendship with you. One…keep taking your medicine. Two…keep seeing your therapist. Three…and I'm dead serious about this one, Becca. Look at me." He let his eyes drive home his point. "…stay away from the club the rest of the weekend. If you step foot on club property this weekend, we're done, because if I see you there, I'll file a restraining order against you and never speak to you again. Am I** crystal **clear?"

Knowing in her heart he was serious this time, she agreed without hesitation. "I promise. I'll go home and stay there the rest of the weekend so you won't even have to worry about Tawny bumping into me in town."

"Excellent. Thank you." Opening the door he took a cleansing breath. That's when he saw his mother approaching and from the look on her face he knew she was channeling her Scandinavian Bad Ass. "Mom, I have everything under control. You don't have to…"

"Get off our property!" Bev shouted at the girl she used to treat like a daughter. "You could have killed my only child and while Greg may be nice and forgive you for what you did, I never will. I cared for you when your own mother didn't give a rat's ass where you spent Christmas. To say I feel betrayed is an understatement!"

Becca prepared to grovel, "Mrs. Sanders, I'm really…"

"Shut up and listen. Don't speak to us ever again. Don't step foot on our private property. Don't come near us at the club. If you do, so help me God I will ruin you, starting with your career because you know the reason you're in that firm is because I went to college with one of the partners. Now, go!"

When Becca took off running Greg blasted his mother, "I had the situation under control. I didn't need you to…"

"I disagree. You've consistently handled the matter badly since you went to see her Monday night." Shaking her head Bev marched into the house.

"Mom, it's my life and…."

"Excuse me!" Getting in her son's face Bev harshly whispered, "Need I remind you that the** only** reason you still have a life is because of **my** interference, Gregory? You wouldn't have babies on the way, be proposing, getting married and having a future if it weren't for **me.** Last night when I saw your lifeless body, I almost lost my mind. The errand I went on after breakfast was a ruse so I could get out of the house for a while and break down in private. You want to be accountable? Then own this…sometimes you really do need to be saved from your own bad judgment."

In that moment, Greg realized his mother had never shoved the brutally honest truth about his suicide attempt in his face until now and after a contemplative silence Greg quietly said, "You're right, Mom…I'm sorry."

Bev blew out a breath and hugged her son. "Forgiven."

**Plaza Medical Center  
****9:31 a.m. **

Upon waking from a short nap, Cassie weakly whispered to her father who was sitting on the edge of her bed. "Where's Mommy?"

"She's in the hallway on the phone with grandma checking on things at home." Drew tucked the blankets a little tighter around his daughter. "Do you want something, Sugar?"

"A story," she requested before yawning.

Reaching over to the bedside table, Drew selected from one of three books left by a hospital volunteer who also delivered the teddy bear dressed in scrubs Cassie was clutching. "How about Madeline?"

"She gets her 'pendix out too."

"That's right."

"Will you do the voices?"

"Of course." He held up the cover. "Do you know what that's a picture of?"

"The Eiffel Tower. It's in Paris." She paused for a yawn. "Mommy told me you went there on your honeymoon."

"We did." Staring at the cover illustration he spoke in a storybook tone for his daughter, "It seemed like we traveled all day to get there and we were real tired when we arrived, but then from our hotel balcony we saw the Eiffel Tower looming in the distance and I grabbed mommy's hand and rushed out to see it up close. Mommy had been to Paris a bunch of times for work but I had never been there so I was real excited." He pointed to the right base of the tower. "I kissed mommy standing right there in the light of a full moon while she was holding a red rose. I remember thinking it was just like a scene in the movies. She was wearing a gorgeous red dress and although Paris is known for having lots of beautiful women…" He winked at his daughter and continued the reality-based fairytale, "Your mommy was the prettiest in the city that night and in that moment I loved her more than any man loved any woman in Paris."

"What happened after the kiss?" the always curious child asked.

Lost in the memory it took a few seconds to catch up. "What happened after the kiss? Well…Mommy opened her eyes and then she said…"

"I've been Mrs. Drew Stokes for exactly twenty-nine hours and with each one that passes I love you more than the one before." From the doorway where she had been listening, Lissa stood swiping tears and trying to recall the sad day when she realized she had started loving him a little less with each passing hour instead of more. "Geez…your daddy is such a good storyteller he made mommy cry tears of joy." Approaching the bed she jittered a smile then kissed her daughter's forehead, relieved it was cool and her fever gone.

"I like that story better than Madeline," Cassie remarked before pointing to her mother and smiling. "Look, Daddy…no lipstick. That means you can kiss her." Her smile returning for the first time since she got sick, Cassie encouraged her father, "Go for it."

Locking his gaze on Lissa's, Drew anxiously cleared his throat. "Uh…" And while he was desperately trying to come up with a way out of the awkward moment for Lissa's sake, his wife cupped his face and pressed her unadorned lips to his.

Over the years Drew and Lissa had shared passionate kisses in some of the world's most exotic places…a heavenly beach in Fiji at sunset…on the balcony of a luxurious hotel in Morocco where the air was full of spices…in a hammock on the deck of their cottage in Kenya while giraffe and zebra grazed…and in Paris in the light of a full moon under the Eiffel Tower, but if asked, they would both say all of those combined paled in comparison to the one they shared on a Saturday morning in the pediatric wing of Chicago's Plaza Medical Center in front of their giggling little girl.

Breathless from the absolving kiss, Drew sat quietly while his little girl cheered and his wife produced a fresh batch of tears and a shaky smile. After recovering from the moment he took his daughter's hand and his wife's and said, "I believe I have a new favorite story."

**The Body Farm  
****9:42 a.m. **

Standing in front of their first corpse wearing face masks, gloves and booties, Grissom informed his pupil, "Every body tells a story. When you read a book you start with a title and as you turn the pages you gather information and formulate opinions…by the time you close the book you have an understanding of what happened. That's how it works here too, Sean. You start with very little then, by delving into the body, the story unfolds and leads us to conclusions."

Mesmerized by a fresh corpse lying in an open field Sean breathed slow and deep.

"Is it harder than you thought it would be?" Grissom prompted, concerned the boy was breathing erratically and would faint. He had purposely picked the least gruesome of the thirty-two bodies currently being studied at the farm. The fifty-six year old man's remains had just been placed for observation that morning.

Nodding, Sean admitted, "I've read books and seen photos on the Internet, but the real thing is much more…"

"Do you want to go back to the…"

"No." He vehemently shook his head before looking up at his mentor. "Dr. Grissom…there are so many things I'm not good at…and guys at my old school called me a wimp every day. This is my chance to be tough about something. My brother can face a player twice his size on the football field and not flinch, but he couldn't stomach two seconds of this place. Football is his thing…it's where Ryan proves he's tough. Forensic Science will be how I prove I'm just as tough as him."

Like a proud papa Grissom placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm already in awe of your strength, Sean. Most people wouldn't step through the front gate of this place." Under his mask his smiled broadened. "You wanna know a secret?"

"Sure."

"The first time Nick came here he turned white as a ghost and tried to vomit on the sly." He chuckled at the memory. "But I busted him."

"I won't tell him you told me."

"Nah…go ahead, because it's not really fun unless he knows that you know." Grissom patted the boy on the back. "Do you think you're ready for something more?"

"No…but show me anyway."

Admiring the boy's innate curiosity and spunk he pointed to the path. "It's about a quarter mile ahead. If it's too frightening, don't hesitate to tell me because like I said…I'm already proud of you for coming here and the first time is scary."

"Actually, this place scares me a lot less than other things I have in my head right now. This is science and science follows rules and has predictable results. If you mix two hydrogen atoms with an oxygen atom you get a water molecule every time, but if you mix a girl and a boy there are many potential outcomes. The girl can love you or hate you. She may want just a kiss or…" Sean shyly said, "…or to do much more…some things I'm not sure I ever want to do. My brother hasn't really done anything with a girl yet except kiss one but, he finds all the future stuff to do with them very exciting. It scares me to death," he confessed and then covered his mouth, "No offense to the corpses."

"I'm sure none was taken," Grissom quickly absolved the boy's guilt while hoping he wouldn't ask any sexual questions.

"Dr. Grissom…I know you said I should talk to my Uncle Nick about girl stuff…"

_Oh, no…here it comes._ Grissom braced for discomfort.

"My uncle gives really good technical advice in layman's terms but the thing is… I can't relate to him practically when it comes to putting thoughts into actions because he was a cool jock and it all came easy for him. You, on the other hand, are like me, a…oh…how can I say this without…um…"

"Never be ashamed of who you are, Sean." Grissom chuckled sweetly, "I believe the word you're looking for is geek?"

Grinning, Sean nodded, "Yes…but I didn't want to offend you."

"None taken, because like I said…never be ashamed of who you are." Grissom slowly led him down the path to give the boy a chance to acclimate to the surroundings.

"Dr. Grissom…" Sean cautiously asked, "Are you obligated to tell my mom everything I tell you or can I tell you secrets?"

"Well…" Grissom pondered the question for a moment then replied, "There are some things I would have to tell…like if you were doing something illegal, like taking drugs for example."

"No, it's nothing like that," Sean chuckled at the thought. "I'm worried my penis is going to explode from unreleased pressure."

Not expecting that particular fear, Grissom stopped in his tracks and suddenly wished Nick was along for the trip. But, since Nick wasn't there, and the dead weren't going to field the question, Grissom forged ahead. "What makes you think that, Sean?"

Stepping closer he confessed in a barely audible whisper, "Last night when…"

"Sean…the dead can't hear you and there's a plane flying overhead, feel free to speak up."

"**Last night when my brother and I were watching naked girls on TV he went to the bathroom and relieved the pressure in his penis twice, but I couldn't. He said**…"

"Sean…" Grissom pointed to the sky. "The plane's gone so you don't have to scream."

After a deep breath Sean continued, "Ryan said that if I didn't do what he did, then the pressure would build up in my penis causing it to explode. Scientifically, I understand the concept of contents under pressure, which is why I'm terrified it will happen. At the same time, I've never read anything about exploding penises so, I'm skeptical…but maybe it's just something that's not discussed openly because I never read anything about BJs either, but found out they exist by word of mouth."

Grissom laughed at the play on words without thinking. "Sorry…I'm not laughing at you or the question. It was your accidental choice of words."

Thinking about what he said Sean smiled, "That was funny now that I think about it."

"No…it won't explode," Grissom calmly assured the scared boy. "I'm and expert in Biology and I can attest that in all my years I've never heard of or witnessed a case of penis explosion due to lack of release. You're safe…although you may experience temporary discomfort at times." _Now please…whatever you do…don't ask me if I…_

"Dr. Grissom…when you were my age did you experience a similar fear?"

Grissom glanced over at a corpse rotting under a large shade tree and suddenly wished he could trade places. "Uh…okay…I'll be honest with you. Everyone has different fears, Sean. Like you said earlier…your brother would be afraid to come here but you're not. He's not afraid of 'relieving pressure', but you are and that's okay. The particular fear that is plaguing you…wasn't one of mine, but you're going to join the track team and that would have terrified me at your age. Everyone's different."

"So, I really am a freak," Sean lamented while his shoulders drooped. "You were my last chance to feel normal. But if you did it then…"

"You're not a freak, and I'm not a therapist, but…from a simplistic biological perspective I would guess that your body is more advanced than your brain in this area. Your body is ready to go somewhere your mind isn't willing to go and there's nothing wrong with that or you."

"Do you think there's something wrong with my brother because he does it twice a day sometimes?"

"No…I don't think there's anything wrong with your brother either." Grissom realized a slight smile appeared on his face as he eased into the paternal feel of the moment. "You're not identical twins physically and you're not identically mentally or developmentally either. You can't compare yourself to him."

Standing in the middle of a farm of dead bodies Sean once again whispered, "Is there a way to get over my fear of relieving pressure?"

"That's definitely one for Uncle Nicky." Grissom started heading down the path again. "In slot twenty-seven there's a corpse in the first stages of…" Suddenly he realized his own fears had gotten the better of him. Glancing back he saw the confused teen catching up to him. "Sean…"

"Yes, Dr. Grissom?"

"I believe your fear goes beyond that one act. You're at a crossroads…you're scared of growing up. I think you've come to believe that act represents the final milestone, and if you never take that step, you won't ever have to make the leap from boy to teen."

Tears welling in his eyes Sean nodded. "I don't want to grow up."

"You can't fight nature, Sean." Grissom pointed to a corpse half-buried in the sand. "Remember…science has rules. You're born, you mature from infant to adult in predictable stages, and one day…you die. You can't stop biology. It's alive. Even when a man is declared dead, his body is still giving life to the organisms feeding on it and the ground soaking up the nutrients from it." Placing a hand on the boy's sagging shoulder, Grissom counseled, "You can** resist** the process of maturation, or you can **embrace it**…but there's no way to stop it, Sean. Eventually, every boy grows up…even Peter Pan."

"Okay," he acknowledged while wiping his tears. "Thank you for being honest with me."

"Don't worry," Grissom edged out a smile. "It's not an overnight process…it takes a long time, and the amount of time varies from person to person so you don't compare yourself. I did a lot of growing up this last year and I'm forty-nine and my father just finished yesterday. I watched your Uncle Nick growing up for the past nine years, and in one or two areas he only made progress in the last six months. And Greg…" He sighed like a worried father, "…he still has a long way to go."

"But he's going to be a father in April."

"Yeah…don't remind me." Grissom resumed walking down the path. "I know you biologically understand how babies happen so I won't bore you with those details. But here's a cruel trick of nature…reproduction is strictly a biological process, it doesn't require the sperm and egg donors to exhibit any intellectual maturation prior to successful fertilization. That's why condoms were invented…actually that's not true, the first protective sheath was invented by an Italian Anatomist, Gabriello Fallopio in 1564 to prevent the transfer of venereal disease." He laughed, "There's a little something you can impress the guy's at school with next week."

"Thanks!"

"Here we are." Pointing to a small pond Grissom eagerly asked, "Ready for some bugs on a bloated body?"

"Absolutely." Sean took a deep breath and proceeded to the edge of the lake.

"Let's see how tough you really are," Grissom teased as he reached into his pocket to retrieve two sticks of beef jerky. "Try to eat while studying decomposition."

"Just don't tell my mom," Sean implored while taking the stick and slipping it under his face mask for a bite.

"Why?" Grissom stared curiously at the boy. "Will she think it's disrespecting the dead to eat while studying them?"

"No…" He remembered his manners and swallowed the beef before talking. "She's a vegetarian."

**The Blakes  
****10:08 a.m. **

"Okay, Sara…" Wendy grabbed a package of tortillas. "Even you can't get this one wrong," she teased. "Cream cheese and green chili tortilla rollups."

"Sounds complicated to me." Sara approached the counter with trepidation.

"You don't even cook them. The only skills are spreading, spooning, rolling and cutting."

"Oh…" Sara laughed while washing her hands. "I don that stuff with DB's all the time…spreading open wounds, spooning up decomp, rolling out…"

"No DB talk in the kitchen remember?" She pointed to the note on the fridge that said it in bright red marker.

"Sorry…I blame the influence of Gil's seed growing inside me."

Opening up a package of tortillas Wendy joked, "If having Gil's seed inside you makes you talk about dead bodies in the kitchen, what does having two of Greg's seeds growing inside Tawny do to her I wonder?"

**The Sanders Home  
****10:17 a.m. **

"I'm going insane!" Tawny shrilled as she watched the clock seemingly tick backwards. Talking to the closed guest bathroom door she pleaded, "Narrow down the proposal timeframe for me, **please**! Before sunset or after sunset!"

"I already negotiated you a free breast reduction and it's not even noon. Man you're demanding. Maybe I need to rethink this proposal thing."

"So not funny!"

"Okay…okay. If I say neither before sunset nor after sunset, then you'll know I'm proposing at sunset."

Jumping up and down in her bikini she shrieked, "So you're proposing at sunset!"

When he opened the door Greg crinkled his brows. "I never said that. I just said **if **I say neither…"

"Murdering!" She slipped both hands around his neck and gave a squeeze.

"Self-defeating!"

"Rethinking!" When she saw a flicker of enticement in Greg's eyes from staring at her bikini clad body Tawny turned into Glitter and rasped, "I'm going to tease you with a dance and if you want to touch me you're going to have to give me the timeframe."

"But you're barely wearing anything," he stated trying not to laugh. "How are you going to tease me when you have almost nothing to take off?"

"Oooh…that's a challenge if I ever heard one and, Baby…" She struck a seductive pose. "And I'm more than up for it."

Greg took a seat on the edge of the bed to watch the show. "Well let's go then…"

**University Trauma Center  
****10:23 a.m. **

Bursting into her stir-crazy fiancé's room Carrie shouted, "Who's ready to go home and watch some football!"

"Look at you." Nick's face exploded into a smile when he saw Carrie wearing the Aggie t-shirt Sara had made for her.

"Check this out." Turning around she thrust her butt in his direction to show off her Aggie logo jeans. "Your sister Barbara sent me a care package and does she know me or what!" Bending down she removed a flip flop. "She even got me logo shoes!"

"My family loves you, Darlin'." He pulled her in for a squeeze. "How could they not?" After a kiss he asked, "What did Barbara send me?"

"Nothing."

"Oh."

"But I have a real big surprise waiting for you at home."

Laughing he said, "So you talked to the doctor and found out my sister was lying too, huh?"

"No." She cocked her head. "What was she lying about?"

"No gratification for six weeks. It's no vigorous sex for six weeks, but other forms of gratification are fine after two." With a wink he said, "Good thing I got used to you being on top."

"All things happen for a reason." She pecked his lips and rejoiced she would only be O-less for another week.

"So…what's my surprise if it's not that good news?"

"Duh…" She picked up his suitcase and opened the door. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."

**The Sanders Home  
****10:27 a.m. **

Heated to an extreme by his future wife's deftly executed dance Greg folded like a bad hand of poker. "It will between sunset and the stroke of midnight!"

"**Yes!**"

As Tawny tackled him against the bedding Greg laughed, "That's exactly how I want to hear it later!"

"I think I can do it even better with practice…**Yes! Yes! Yes!**"

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Scott stopped just as he was about to knock on the guestroom door and instead whispered to his wife, "I guess that answers our question about Tawny being too nauseated by the thought of Becca having her way with Greg to ever touch him again."

"Yeah, I'm thinking we should go."

**Louder, Princess! Or I won't give it to you!**

**YES! YES! YES!**

Scott took his wife's hand and led her toward the stairs, "We'll leave them a note saying we headed to the club without them."

**Now that's more like it!**

**Oooh****! I can't wait for you to give it to me, Chuckles!**

"Hurry!" Bev raced ahead of her husband. "I don't want to hear my little boy having clown sex."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter…

I started out light with Greg's creative settlement with Charlie, waking up with the Blake Boys and Carrie's short lived (thankfully) stint as a catty bitch LOL she'll be keeping her role as a klutz though.

In the tradition of 'there's always a connection'…Ellie's roommate 'Malibu Barbie' who we heard about a while ago, is the girl from Charlie's 'thing in Malibu' that we keep hearing about.

Brass and LH are on their way to Whispering Pines and Ellie is anxious to see them. Yes, we'll be flashing back to Equine Therapy when Ellie talks to her father in the next chapter and getting another glimpse of Cowboy Ren.

We meet Sofia's neighbor Bernice…when the hard working PI Tony Mantello resurfaced in this chapter and hit pay dirt again.

I hope it was clear that Greg's motivation letting Becca in was preventing her from showing up at the club and tainting the proposal. I think a little of nice guy/long time friend showed up in the end when he told her that he would reassess their friendship in two months if she followed his instructions. Then Bev showed up and exerted her protective nature. One thing's clear…the only woman not manipulating Greggy in that scene was Tawny.

Cassie is such a good accidental marriage therapist, Drew and Lissa won't even need Dr. Myers at this rate ;-)

I really enjoyed writing the scene of Grissom and Sean at the body farm (they will still be there in the opening of the next chapter too). I hope it read well. It was 'the talk' Grissom style…mostly science with a dash of philosophy and rather vague LOL but very effective for Sean.

Tawny earned her proposal timeframe for a little comedy at the end:-) And while Bev often wants to know everything her little boy is up to, even she has her limits. LOL but of course they were just practicing for the big proposal moment.

Thanks for reading!

And………thanks KJT , my trusted consultant and editor, for your help in this chappie and every chapter! As far as editors go, you're very deserving of Country Potatoes LOL

**NextChapter:** I don't want to say anything in case Tawny's reading ;-) **Posting:** Sunday

**Thanks!  
****Maggs**


	32. Chapter 32

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 32**

**September 3, 2005  
****Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****11:03 a.m. **

Standing with Nick outside of their apartment door Carrie bubbled with excitement. "Ready for your big surprise!"

Nick adored the twinkle in her eyes and the carefree lilt of her voice after seeing her so vexed over Nurse Nasty. "You know it, open the door, Sweetheart."

"Close your eyes." Chewing her lip in nervous anticipation Carrie opened the door and took her fiancé's hand, guiding him until he was standing in front of their new fifty inch plasma TV. "Open your eyes!"

When Nick saw the mammoth screen his jaw dropped. "Whoa."

Although the answer was obvious, Carrie asked, "How do you think you'll like watching football on that?"

"Are you kidding!" He hurried over to inspect his new toy as fast as his sore body would allow. "I've been wantin' one of these ever since Greg got one for Christmas. I always thought it was cruel that he didn't like sports but had the best TV." Nick's eyes turned towards the couch "And look at what you did here." Grinning uncontrollably, he perused the scene. She had his Aggie stadium blanket and pillows set up so he could rest easy…a cooler of beverages, including non-alcoholic beer, so he could drink while taking his pain medication…bowls of traditional snacks…and the remote control for the new TV adorned with a gold bow and a note that said 'Love you!'. "This…"

Gushing from the pride of a job well done, Carrie cheered, "Welcome home and happy game day!"

"Just being home with you was more than enough but these perks are awesome." Grabbing Carrie's hand he pulled her in for an amorous kiss, which to his surprised she declined.

"Uh…Nicky…" She backed away twittering a smile.

"What's wrong, Darlin'?" He chuckled, "You saw me brush my teeth after breakfast."

"No…it's not…" Carrie pointed to her man's hairy face. "Sorry, .but now that you're out of the hospital, could you shave off that scruff because…"

"Really? I was thinking of keeping the beard…or maybe just a 'stache." With his fingertips he caressed his stubble.

"Yeah?" Carrie cringed at the notion. "Well…okay." Sighing, she voiced the ultimate encouragement for shaving, "Just don't expect me to kiss you or make love to you ever again, because the thought of you with a moustache makes me queasy."

**The Body Farm  
****11:17 a.m. **

After snapping a few pictures of Sean looming over the bloated body submerged from the chest down in scummy pond water Grissom asked, "Any signs of nausea?"

"No, Sir." Sean smiled proudly under his paper mask as he watched insects feast on a wound. "This is really what made my Uncle Nick vomit?"

"Yep." Grissom waved the camera. "And now we have photo proof that you did just fine and I'm going to have a wonderful time rubbing those photos in your uncle's face."

"What's next?" Sean anxiously inquired as his confidence grew. "I'm definitely ready for something a little more grotesque."

"Then I think you're ready for a body decomposing in a sealed car." Grissom pointed to the path and said with boyish zeal, "Follow me."

Keeping pace with his mentor Sean asked, "Where do all these bodies come from?"

"Two sources…unclaimed bodies are sent from the Coroner's office and the rest are pre-set donations." Grissom smiled inwardly as he pictured his corpse being delivered there after his eventual demise. "This is where my body will end up one day. I have it specified in my will. I even have a particular study scenario in mind."

"But how will your family visit your grave?" Sean asked, feeling a dose of sadness wash over him. "We've visited Grandma and Grandpa Hatcher's graves twice and when we were in California a couple of years ago we visited Grandma Blake's."

"I believe that my body is just a shell and therefore doesn't need to be preserved or visited."

"Oh." Sean readied to ask another round of questions. "Dr. Grissom…"

_Oh no…I recognize that tone. He's about to spring another round of uncomfortable questions on me_. "Yes?"

"While reading the Bible backwards last night I realized my brother will burn in a lake of fiery sulfur after he dies and I was wondering if you knew a way for him to save himself."

"Uh…" Grissom stared at the lad. "Let's start at the beginning. You read the Bible backwards?"

"Ryan told me he heard it helps relieve 'the pressure' if you don't want to do it the other way."

"Did it work?"

"Yes, quite well actually. I was so worried about my brother suffering in the eternal hellfire that I didn't have time to think about my other problem and before I knew it, it was gone."

"Ah, I see…" He grinned under the mask. "A little mind over matter."

"The Bible said that the sexually immoral, liars, idol worshippers and magic practitioners will all burn in the lake, but it also said that murderers would go there too. Ryan said he didn't buy it because it wasn't fair that Harry Potter readers go to the same place as murderers." Sean took in the sights of the body farm as they made their way to their destination. "I don't think it sounds fair either but I was taught in Sunday school that the Bible is absolutely true and I don't want to not believe because the unbelievers go to the fiery lake too. Do you see why I'm confused?"

"Absolutely," Grissom acknowledged while not sure how to field the topic since Wendy was a regular churchgoer and might not want her boy hearing his perspective on the good book. "My mother was a devout Catholic," he shared. "I attended mass with her twice a week and when I was about your age, I experienced a similar confusion when I read Leviticus. Have you read Leviticus backwards or forwards?"

"No, I haven't."

Smiling, Grissom came to rest in front of the rusted car. "Do you know what leprosy is?"

Sean nodded and answered the question as if he were in a classroom. "Yes, I did a paper on infectious diseases of ancient civilizations. It's an infection caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium Leprae. If left untreated it causes permanent damage to skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. It's still a public health problem in underdeveloped countries but can be successfully treated with a combination of three drugs."

"Excellent." Grissom took a deep breath and then bestowed the information he knew would turn Sean's Biblically influenced world upside down. "Leviticus fourteen dictates the treatment of leprosy as follows…gather two birds and kill one in an earthen vessel over running water. Sprinkle the blood of the dead bird on the leper seven times and let the living bird fly loose. Then get two lambs and kill one, putting the blood of the slain lamb on the leper's right ear, thumb and big toe. Then find two more birds and kill one, dipping the live bird in the dead bird's blood. Wipe the leper's right ear, thumb and toe with the blood of the dead bird and then go to the leper's house and shake the blood off the bird seven times." With that Grissom closed his example. "Do you think the aforementioned treatment would cure leprosy?"

"No…it couldn't possibly cure a bacterial disease." Then Sean realized what he just did. "Oh no…I guess that means I'm an unbeliever too." His shoulders sagged as he realized he'd be melting in the lake next to his brother.

"No, Sean…it means you're a free-thinker who has the ability to read and choose, rather than read and blindly accept. As a scientist you'll find yourself at odds with the Bible many times over, but that doesn't mean you have to toss the entire book." Grissom waved him closer to the car. "There are plenty of good rules to live by in the Bible. In Leviticus you'll also be told to be kind to neighbors and not steal…along with instructions not to eat shellfish."

"But the church pastor loves my mom's shrimp salad!" He held his head as his brain tried to make sense of it all.

Grissom could feel the tremor from the boy's world rocking. "Yeah…and my first case in Vegas involved a reverend who killed his ex-mistress because she was blackmailing him and threatening to tell his wife about his extra-marital affair." In a serious tone Grissom warned, "Add this to your crime solving tips file, Sean…never eliminate a suspect based on his religious convictions."

**Ely State Prison  
****11:36 a.m. **

As they did at eleven-thirty every Saturday, the twelve inmates of the Ely chapter of EPF, Evangelical Prison Fellowship, assembled in the prison library for Bible Study under the guidance of Reverend Hawkins and the watchful eye of several guards. Each time they met it was customary for one inmate, or a guest accompanying the Reverend, to share a testimonial of their faith.

"Amen," the Reverend pronounced at the end of his opening prayer. "My brothers in Christ, today we will be hearing from Brother Michael…a man who, over the last six months, has inspired me. He inspires me because he lives The Word…he lives many of the concepts some of you have only begun to contemplate…he has unending faith in the Lord…he boldly practices forgiveness…he helps his brethren…he is truly an example for us all. "

Sitting beside the gullible preacher, Mike Rodgers demonstrated a perfect level of humility. "Reverend…you are too generous."

In the corner of the room guard Ray Innes, one of several who were on Mike's payroll, tried not to laugh at the bullshit filling the room.

Reverend Hawkins, a solemn religious leader, gently placed his hand on the Mike's broad shoulder. "Enlighten us all with your words, Brother Michael."

With a humble nod of the head Mike stood. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today, Reverend." Across the room he saw his whore Janice grinning like the village idiot she was and he raised his right hand to give a shy wave. The phony gesture made her instantly giddy and to himself he laughed at her stupidity. "Uh…" He cleared his throat to augment his feigned nervousness. "This is a special day for me for several reasons. First off…I received confirmation today that I have met all the necessary correspondence course requirements to become ordained as a minister." Then, pressing his open palm to his heart he quietly shared, "Today is also my wedding anniversary and even though it saddens me that my loving wife is gone…I'm reminded I was once blessed enough to have a wonderful woman agree to marry me."

**Wildfire Country Club  
****11:41 a.m. **

When the moment Greg had dreamed about forever finally arrived, his excitement was uncontainable. "I'm ready!" he enthused while shucking his t-shirt and lying stomach down on a lounge chair outside his parents' reserved pool cabana. Finally he had a girl with him poolside on Labor Day weekend and not just any girl, the sexiest girl in the place. In a whisper he urged, "Okay…time to start rubbing on the sunscreen, Princess." He left his eyes open, hoping to spy some jealous male reactions, precisely the kind he used to emote when the roles were reversed and he was hard up.

Tawny winked at Bev and Scott who were sitting inside the cabana sipping iced tea and playing cards. "Time for the show."

They instantly put down their cards and moved their chairs for a better view. "He's been waiting over a decade for this," Bev whispered in her husband's ear. "I hope she plays it to the hilt."

Scott chuckled, "In that case, keep your cell handy to call 911 because Stan Warner has a weak heart and he's already gawking at Tawny and breathing erratically."

With her baggy swimsuit cover-up hiding her sexy bikini, Tawny stepped beyond the canvas walls into the sunlight. Arching her back she reached up to free her bundled blonde locks from a clip. "Mmm…that sun is hot," she moaned while her hair cascaded over her shoulders. "You better get some sunscreen on you, Greggy."

"Really? But I just got comfortable," Greg whined as if he were annoyed by the inconvenience. "Okay…yeah…you're probably right. Would you do my back?"

Shaking his head in disbelief Scott whispered to his wife, "And you were worried about hearing them having clown sex? They're playing out bad porn in front of us."

Bev covered her smile. "How wrong is it that I think it's cute?"

"Princess…" Greg tamed his smile and glanced up. "You should probably take off that white cover-up first because it's new and you don't want to get any oily stuff on it."

"Oooh!" Tawny covered her mouth and giggled, "Good point!"

Across the pool from the Sanders cabana, Charlie watched Tawny unzipping her shirt slow enough to torture him and remarked to his buddy, "Damn…for an Amish girl, she could give a stripper a run for her money."

Clutching her unzipped shirt Tawny timidly admitted, "I'm a little shy about wearing a bathing suit in front of so many people." She glanced around and slowly let the garment slip off her shoulders.

"Take it off!" Stan Warner wheezed from the next cabana while turning up his portable oxygen tank a notch.

Upon seeing the old man's smile Bev readied her cell phone. "He hasn't even seen her breasts yet!"'

As soon as Tawny shucked her shirt, four of the clubs cattiest women in the pool area gathered to gossip...

"Designer?"

"Asha Couture."

"It's the same one the Sports Illustrated model wore."

"Who did her work?"

"Did Howie do her work?"

"Are you **sure** that's an Asha Couture swimsuit?"

"She's Amish!"

"I can't believe she's with Sanders."

"Bev has to be paying her."

"That suit looked better on the model. Don't you guys think she should lose a little weight?"

"If she lost more weight in the bottom she'd fall over from being top heavy."

"Wait a minute…I think she has a pooch. Dammit, I wish we had binoculars."

"Hey…I think you're right."

"She's pregnant!"

"It could be bloat from that time of the month."

"Why would she be with Sanders unless she trapped him for cash?"

"Ugh…another trust fund boy trapped at Wildfire Country Club. That's so cliché."

"Hold up…Becca told me Sanders doesn't have a trust fund."

"He doesn't? Bev's loaded, how could he not have a TF?"

"Duh…because she's a controlling over protective freak of a mother."

"Right."

"Are you sure that suit is Asha?"

"Who cares about the suit when she has a pooched belly?"

"Who's going to confirm? Cindy, you met her yesterday, try to get it out of her."

"Okay, I'll wait until I see her head for the restroom and then I'll follow her."

When Stan Warner started clapping Bev said, "Time to turn it down a notch, kids. Oh, and, Greg…Dr. Dan is fast approaching."

"Here we go," Greg groaned as the party ended. "Time to maul me while checking his handiwork."

"Let's see my handiwork!" Dr. Dan exclaimed while puffing on a Cuban cigar. "How many years has it been since you flew out for surgery?"

"Almost three," Greg answered while the doctor inspected his back.

"The scars are fading a little more each year," Bev warmly greeted their family friend.

"You must be Tawny…yeah…the club is abuzz over you and now I know why." The bronzed fifty-seven year old plastic surgeon grinned at the buxom girl's chest. "It's a pleasure."

Tawny smiled at the pervert. "Hi there…my face is up here." She pointed to her head. "Up! A little more…more." When his gaze slowly moved north she praised, "There you go. Nice to meet you too."

**Whispering Pines  
****12:04 p.m. **

When Ellie arrived at her room she pointed to the breasty blonde eighteen year old sitting by the window and groaned, "Dad…Heather…that's my roommate…Malibu Barbie. Careful, the glare from her teeth may blind you, and don't get too close to her boobs, they're solid plastic."

The forlorn girl, Katrina Bowers, lowered her cigarette and snapped out of her daze just in time to snark, "It's lovely to meet you both and, Mr. Brass…my condolences for having such a skanky bitch for a daughter."

Heather's lips eased into a smile. "It's so nice that you're making friends here, Ellie."

"Yeah…I'm hoping she'll be able to come home with me for Thanksgiving so we can hit the mall together for the after holiday sale," Ellie giddily announced before sticking her finger in her mouth to fake gagging. "As if I'd go shopping with Barbie."

Katrina rolled her eyes as she crossed the room to exit. "As if I'd shop sales, or be seen in public with a thrift store queen like you, Tramparella."

Jim nodded at Heather. "I'm feeling the love, are you feeling the love?"

Once her irritating roommate was gone Ellie plopped down on her bed. "She'd be much easier to take if I was wasted. I think they gave her to me on purpose to test my resistance."

"Tramparella?" Heather posited as she walked around the room taking in the stark atmosphere. "How did she come up with that?"

"In group I talked about trading sex for drugs and she thought it would be clever to rub that in my face." Ellie kicked off her shoes and propped up on her elbow. "The chick is so dense she can't even see she was doing the same thing only with a richer guy who wasn't upfront about the trade. At least I knew the score…I think that makes me a helluva lot smarter than her. You know why she was sitting by the window? She's waiting to see if her boyfriend shows up by surprise. The guy normally doesn't even return her phone calls, but today he answered and talked to her for two minutes…she's been salivating like a dog ever since." Rolling onto her back Ellie sighed, "I may be a lot of things but I'm not delusional. Ugh…and that purse she has…nine hundred bucks! Her daddy mailed it to her. He mailed a nine hundred dollar purse to a rehab center in the middle of a friggin' forest in Arizona. Hello? How is that hideous pink purse supposed to help get her through the day?" She rolled her eyes. "I think we all know where she gets her intelligence."

Heather smiled at Jim. "This is probably a good time to give her your gift."

"Don't you worry, Sweetie…Daddy got you a thousand dollar purse to carrying around in the middle of nowhere." Chuckling he sat on the edge of the bed and reached into the small paper shopping bag. "No, I'm afraid I opted for practicality and humor…I got twenty-four packs of gum to help with your cravings, and an LVPD Vice Squad t-shirt so you could wear it and freak out the inmates with post-traumatic arrest disorder."

"Thanks, Daddy." Ellie accepted the gifts with a smile. "These are much cooler than an overpriced prissy pink purse."

"I got you a little something too." Heather crossed the room to fetch her twelve hundred dollar purse, opened it and pulled out a brown envelope. "It's a job application for the Dominion. Your father caved last night. He'll approve you working for me as long as you're not on the frontlines."

"Really!" Ellie jumped off the bed to snatch the envelope. "Thanks for being cool about this, Daddy."

"What can I say?" Jim slapped on his sunglasses. "I'm a real cool Daddy-O."

"Uh…you were until you said that," Ellie quipped while perusing the form in her hand. "I'm a little bummed I won't be whipping and berating submissive guys with freaky fetishes but, I'm psyched just to get my leather boot in the Dominion's door."

"I'll have you work in booking," Heather informed her future employee. "You'll get to hear what the submissive guys want and maybe that will give you your fix. Of course, you'll have to book the dominant men as well…and without sharing your disparaging opinion of them. Think you can manage that?"

Ellie glanced over at her father. "I don't think it's in my blood to keep my mouth shut when I disagree. Right, Daddy? It's genetic and I get it from you? That and my smile."

"That's right, Honey," Jim breathed through the moment. "But you'll come to terms with something I learned years ago…it's okay to kiss ass when you need a paycheck."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****12:14 p.m. **

"I didn't think we were expecting company until later, Darlin'," Nick yelled from the couch into the bedroom when he heard the doorbell ring.

"Don't move!" Carrie shouted back as she dashed out of the bedroom. "You just got settled and comfortable after your shower." On the way to the door she stole a kiss from her freshly shaven man. "Mmm…now that you're sans facial hair your sex appeal is back." Smacking her lips she resumed her trip to the door.

Watching her peek through the peephole he asked, "Who is it?"

"It's David Hodges and a woman."

"Ooh…I bet he's here sucking up and she's his overnight wife we heard about at the party last week." Nick scooted up on the couch. "This should be good."

When Carrie opened the door she flashed a welcoming smile. "Hi."

"Hi!" Hodges enthusiastically greeted. "We went to the hospital to visit Nick but they said he'd been released so we took a chance and dropped by. Is this a good time?"

"You bet." Carrie opened the door wider so Hodges would be able to fit the jumbo gift basket full of football-themed items and snacks through the door. "Come on in."

"Hey, Hodges," Nick warmly greeted from the couch. "Thanks for checking in on me. And who is this beautiful woman you managed to snag?" He winked in her direction. "I'm Nick, by the way."

"Oh! Sorry! Introductions…" Hodges set down the gift basket and sucked up, "That's for you, Boss…Happy Aggie Season Opener! I'm sure they're going to kick Clamson's ass."

"That would be **Clem**son…and I'm sure they will." Checking out the basket Nick said, "Wow…thanks. This is really cool of you, but I hope you didn't feel obligated to do this just because I'm your boss now. You don't need to suck up to me like you tried to do with Grissom, just do your job well and follow the rules and we'll be fine."

"No…no," Hodges vehemently lied. "I'm not sucking up…no…I've always considered you a good friend even though we've never socialized outside of the lab once in the last three years and you were hesitant to give me your home phone number for fear I'd call you."

Shutting the door Carrie tried not to laugh. "I'm Carrie by the way. I'll grab some drinks. Is iced tea okay?"

"I'm Celeste," the impatient significant other finally introduced herself. "David's wife. I'm glad you're on the road to recovery, Nick. And yes, iced tea would be great, thanks."

"Sorry!" Hodges wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder. "This is my better half."

"Yeah…" Nick chuckled before winking at Celeste. "I had no doubt about that."

"That's the second time you've winked at my wife," Hodges pointed out in a huff. "Are you flirting with her?"

"Huh?" Clueless, Nick looked at the blushing woman. "Did I really?"

From the kitchen entrance Carrie teasingly said, "Don't worry, David…he winks at every woman. He's been doing it since he was sixteen, so it's a hard habit to break. I don't let it bother me, and neither should you."

"I'll help you with the iced tea," Celeste offered as she joined Carrie at the kitchen door.

"Way to go, Hodges." Nick gave him a thumbs up. "She's real cute."

"Yeah…" His shoulders sagged. "Too bad I don't get to keep her."

"Huh?"

Hodges took a seat in an armchair then froze. "Wait…was this Carrie's furniture, or was it yours before you met her? Or did you buy it new when you moved in together?"

"It's all Carrie's…she bought it new when she moved here before I moved in with her."

"Okay, good." Hodges relaxed back against the leather.

"What the…" Nick stared at the man. "What difference does it make whose chair it was?"

"I was concerned over the action and germs it would have seen if it was your old stuff." He shivered. "Especially Sofia germs…blech. I don't get that at all. Did you have some kind of ego crash and believe you were desperate?"

"It would appear you're out of 'suck up mode' and diving head first into 'career ending piss off the boss mode'."

"Sorry…sorry." He gripped his forehead. "I'm under a lot of personal stress. I have less than five months before I get a divorce."

"About that…" Nick grabbed a fake beer from the cooler Carrie had stocked for him. "…you were going to explain the temporary wife thing before you went on that tangent insulting me, my dating history and the cleanliness of my old furniture."

"Right…" Leaning in he whispered, "When I first met Celeste I thought it wouldn't work out because I'm deathly allergic to ferrets, but then I realized I could get allergy shots and…"

"Hold up…guys really do that? 'Cause there's this woman I knew once who had a chinchilla and when I said I was allergic to it…"

"I didn't know you were allergic to chinchillas."

"I'm not." Nick shrugged. "Well I suppose I don't know for sure because I've not spent quality time with one, but my point was…she got pissed off at me and said if I really cared about her I would have offered to get shots. That seems like a lot to go through for a woman."

"Oh, give me a break." Hodges rolled his eyes. "If Carrie was suddenly allergic to your right arm tomorrow, you'd cut it off to keep her. Chinchilla chick just wasn't worth shots to you. Celeste is worth shots to me…I'd do anything for her…" He lowered his voice to a whisper, "…except impregnate her."

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Celeste was breaking down in front of a woman she had only met minutes prior. "It's so maddening, because I love everything about him…"

"Here!" Carrie hurried over with a pile of napkins for the poor woman's tears.

"Thanks for the napkins and listening to me ramble." She blew her nose hard. "David and I have so much in common…we love watching the Six Million Dollar Man and both crave cream soda late at night."

"Ooh…I love cream soda!" Then Carrie grimaced. "But the Six Million Dollar Man…not so much. He gave me the creeps."

"He's even getting allergy shots because he's allergic to my ferrets," Celeste sniffled. "David's getting the shots…not the Six Million Dollar Man, but I'm sure Steve Austin would have gotten shots if Jamie had ferrets and he was allergic to them." Reaching into her purse she grabbed her wallet. "Do you want to see my babies?"

"Sure…I love animals," Carrie enthused as she moved closer to the weepy woman. "Nicky and I are going to get a dog when we move into a house. We don't know what kind yet because we're just going to pick one from the animal shelter."

"Here they are…" With pride Celeste showed the professionally taken photos. That's Princess Gwendolyn and this is Prince Xavier."

"Awwwww…they're adorable."

"And if I stay married to David they're the only kids I'll ever have," she sobbed into her wad of napkins.

Back in the living room Nick was throwing a pillow at Hodges. "What! Are you insane? You found a woman who actually wants to have your seed growing inside her and you tell her you don't want to have kids with her? Dude…I've worked with you for years and you're a real bitter pill ninety percent of the time; I'm shocked you got one offer, I doubt women will be lining up in the future."

"No, Jocko…ugh…the drugs must be making you slower than normal." Hodges huffed, "I don't want to have kids period. I don't gel with kids. But if I wanted to have them, I'd want them with Celeste. The problem is she's dying to have kids, and it's breaking her heart that I can't get into it. She said…"

"Hey!" Nick gaped at his employee. "Did you just say the drugs must be making me **slower than normal** and call me **Jocko**? You think I'm just a big 'ol stupid jock, don't ya?"

"You did think cows drank milk." Realizing he blurted yet again, Hodges glanced at his watch and slowly rose to his feet. "Look at the time! Celeste needs to feed her ferrets so we should probably…"

"Sit!"

"Yes, Boss."

"On second thought…get up and go to that closet over there." Nick pointed toward the hall. "Grab Trivial Pursuit and we'll see who knows more."

"Look…I don't want to humiliate you. I'm a board game fanatic and…"

Gritting his teeth Nick blasted, "Bring the damn game over here now! And if you're so confident in your winning ability, let's wager."

"Okay…" Hodges selected Trivial Pursuit Genus 5. "If I win, you have to kiss my ass at work for a week when you return."

"Fair enough." Nick kicked his feet up on the coffee table and sipped his faux beer. "If I win, you have to impregnate your wife."

"What!" Hodges plunked down the game. "Are you high!"

"As a matter of fact I am…I doubled up on my Vicodin for the ride home."

Hodges nervously paced the room. "Let's say the impossible happens and you win. Then what? I'm supposed to tell my progeny that he or she was only conceived because I lost at Trivial Pursuit?"

Nick laughed heartily into his faux-beer. "Hell…it's a lot better than the embarrassing story Greg has to tell his twins. At least you'll be intentionally conceiving with a woman whose last name you know."

"Okay, fine…you're on." Hodges sat down and set up the board.

Extending his hand Nick forced Hodges to shake on it. "I'm blue. You can go first."

"Just to show you I have no fear…I'll move and intentionally land on Sports and Leisure when I could have chosen Science." As Nick was pulling the question card Hodges chanted, "Let it be Leisure, not sports. Leisure, not sports. Come on leisure."

Nick pulled out the first card. "Ha! What NFL position players pick uniform numbers from 80 to 89?" Seconds later he said, "You don't know the answer so just guess."

"Tightbacks!"

"Wrong! And FYI…there's no such thing as a tightback, Mr. Know It All." Nick didn't even look at the card for the answer. "Receivers."

Hodges tensely watched as Nick rolled a six and moved his piece.

"Arts and Entertainment for a piece of pie."

Hodges grabbed a card and rejoiced, "Good…it's not from a testosterone-infused movie so you probably haven't seen it. What do J.K. Rowling's wizards call people with 'not a drop of magical blood in their veins?"

"Muggles! And believe it or not I learned that from **reading the book**. Not too shabby for a dumb jock, huh?" Nick whooped and clapped as Hodges fished out a pink piece of pie, "Look who's in the lead. That would be me, **baby**!"

**Wildfire Country Club  
****12:44 p.m. **

When Tawny emerged from the stall and approached the restroom sink she saw a woman she recognized. "I met you yesterday, right? Cindy?"

"That's right." The thirty-four year old Ad Executive eyed the girl's midsection. "Cute wrap."

"Thanks." Tawny smoothed her hands over the garment. "It's Bev's actually. I'm just borrowing it."

"So…you don't drink alcohol or smoke. Did you give those up recently as some sort of health choice or did you always abstain?"

"I was raised Amish and we…"

"Oh, that's right." Cindy smiled deviously. "Do you horseback ride or teeter at the top of winding staircases while wearing heels?"

"Huh?" Then Tawny realized what was really going on. "Is that your roundabout, and very lame, way of asking me if I'm pregnant?"

"I think you are." Cindy studied the pensive look on the girl's face. "Yep…definitely."

Tossing her paper towel Tawny grinned, "That's right, I am."

"And yet, no ring on your finger?" Cindy leaned against the counter. "What's up with that? Is he waiting to see if the pregnancy is viable before saying he'll marry you? Or is Bev pulling the strings and hasn't given him permission yet. Oh…I bet you're still waiting for paternity results."

Tawny laughed in the woman's face. "Were you having a shitty day so you decided to follow me into the bathroom and pick on me, hoping you'd make me feel bad?" Flipping her hair off her shoulders Tawny postured. "Sorry…didn't work."

Cindy held her head high and walked out the door just as Bebe Kowalski was ready to stroll in. "I hope there's enough room for your fakies in there, because hers are already crowding the place," she cackled while strutting by.

When Tawny turned around she was faced with the woman Greg said Becca referred to as Miss Stripper Tits. The woman marrying Howie Green, the biggest nerd in their prep school and now a very successful plastic surgeon…but still a nerd. "Hi."

"Hi…you're with Greg Sanders, Yeah, I've heard all about you…gorgeous, uneducated farm girl and sweet as pie." Bebe walked to the mirror and pulled out her plum lipstick. "So…are the jealous chicks calling you Stripper Tits too, or did they give you an original name?"

"I don't know what they're calling me. Where did you dance? LA?" Tawny asked, wondering how long the woman had been retired.

"Are you kidding?" She laughed riotously. "I'm soooo uncoordinated I can't dance. Even with these tits, no one would have paid me if they saw me klutzing around on stage. No, I was a waitress working two jobs before I got engaged. I had finally saved up enough money for a breast reduction after being picked on for having these giant jugs since I was in 7th grade. That's how I met my fiancé, Howie…he was the plastic surgeon I saw for a consult. I let people think I was a dancer who met him when I got implants, because it's nice to have a little intrigue in my life for once."

Tawny giggled at the notion of the woman wanting to fake what she was desperately trying to hide. "So…did Howie talk you out of the reduction?"

"Nah…I can't get it yet because I got pregnant."

"Ooh! I'm pregnant too!" Tawny jubilated, happy to have something else in common with the other new girl at the club. "How far along are you!"

"Fourteen weeks." Putting away her lipstick Bebe asked, "So, what story did you use? Birth control pills didn't work because you were on antibiotics? Or…"

"Excuse me?"

"To trap your Richie Rich?" Bebe tossed her lipstick in her Kate Spade purse. "Before I put the condom on Howie I tore the tip. Worked like a charm on the first try. Now I'm on easy street for the rest of my life…and the nice part is, Howie's tolerable and doesn't knock me around like my Ex." She flashed her rock of a ring. "Let's see yours."

"Um…" Holding her stomach Tawny headed for the door. "I have to go."

As soon as she stepped outside the restroom she saw Cindy speaking with three other women who all turned to glare at her. Tears forming in her eyes Tawny hurried to the pool area and once there she grabbed Greg, who was alone in the cabana snacking on crudités. "I want to leave."

"Why?" When he saw the emotion building in her eyes and he held her tight. "What happened?"

"In about ten seconds this whole place will be calling me a conniving gold digger who got knocked up on purpose just to trap you into marrying me. Cindy cornered me in the bathroom and I didn't want to seem ashamed so I confirmed I was pregnant. She's already telling the first group of people outside the restroom." Holding her head she fought to bite back her tears. "I want to go, and I don't want to come back here the rest of the weekend."

"No!" Greg panicked that his proposal plans would be ruined. "Robbie and Joyce are going to be here any minute to hang with us."

"Please, Greg!"

"Okay…okay…but we have to come back tonight for the big party because..."

"I can't…" she sniffled into his chest. "I know the majority of the people here are very nice, but after last night with Becca, I'm tired of women trying to make a fool out of me. We just got rid of her and now a new witch pops up."

Watching Tawny cry, Greg suddenly had a brainstorm. "**What**!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "**Really**! **Oh my God**! **I don't believe it**!"

"What are you doing?" Puzzled by the outrageously joyful look on Greg's face, Tawny wiped her tears.

Bev and Scott hurried over from four cabanas down and Scott asked in a concerned tone, "What's going on, Son? Why are you screaming? Everyone is staring at you."

"**Yes!"** Rushing over to the lifeguard stand Greg stole the burly man's megaphone. "**Attention everyone who isn't already staring at me**!"

Bev's fingers practically ripped out her hair while she heatedly whispered to her husband, "I'll strangle him for scrapping the plan and proposing now. I can't believe he's doing this after the lengths I went to for him!"

Tawny stood frozen as Greg grabbed her hand. "But it's not sunset yet."

"I know." After winking at Tawny, Greg shouted into the megaphone, "Everyone! I just found out the most wonderful news and it's so fantastic I feel like shouting it from a mountaintop, but shouting it here will have to do because I'm too impatient to drive out to a mountaintop!" When he was certain every pair of eyes was on him, he joyously shared, "Tawny was told by doctors that she'd never be able to get pregnant naturally…that one day when we wanted to have kids, we'd have to utilize in-vitro fertilization. Knowing that, we didn't bother using any protection but, she just told me **she's pregnant**! I'm going to be **a daddy**! I'm thrilled! It's a miracle! Woo hoo!" After tossing the megaphone he kissed Tawny with the passion of a soldier going off to war.

Once Bev's breathing resumed she said, "And that was because?"

"My guess would be one of the gossipmongers found out Tawny's pregnant and our brilliant son just launched a pre-emptive strike before the rumors started to fly." Grinning, Scott picked up the megaphone to help the cause. "A round of drinks on the grandparents to be!"

The pool area exploded with cheers and applause and when Greg and Tawny saw Cindy the Gossip arrive and breathlessly ask someone 'what did I miss' they exchanged giddy smiles and Tawny whispered to her future fiancé, "I love your brain."

**The Blakes  
****3:07 p.m. **

When Sara saw Gil's Mercedes pulling up to the curb she shouted from the living room window, "The bug-obsessed brainiacs are back from the body farm!"

"Oh thank goodness!" Wendy rushed out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "I mean…I wasn't worried about Sean being with Gil…"

Sara held up her hand and released a smile. "You really don't have to justify worrying about your impressionable teenage boy hanging out with a forty-nine year old man who has cockroaches for pets and gets excited over examining maggots on rotting flesh."

"Okay, thanks." Wendy dropped her act. "I'm so glad they're back!"

When the door flew open, Sean rushed inside jubilantly shouting, "I didn't vomit! Mom! I didn't even gag at the bloated body covered in bugs like Uncle Nick did. Dr. Grissom has pictures to prove it."

"Yay!" Wendy replied, unsure if her son's blasé reaction to the rotting dead was a good thing, or a sign of an emotional detachment disorder.

"The tour of the body farm was the best birthday gift ever!" Sean announced as he smiled at his mentor. "Thanks again, Dr. Grissom. Oh and Mom…look what else he gave me..." He produced a duffel bag and hurried to zip it open. "My very own ALS and accessories!"

Wendy stepped back and looked to Gil. "That had to cost a lot."

Gil shook his head in the concerned mother's direction, "I had several old ones so and thought it would be nice to share my toys. I thought you'd prefer the ALS over an autopsy tool kit."

Sara clarified, "He's joking…he never considered giving him that." She hoped so anyway.

After hearing voices in the living room, Ryan emerged from the kitchen tossing up his football. "Hey…you're back from your birthday party with the decomposing dead! So, Bro…tell me, how did it feel to be the life of the party for a change? Ha!" He fell back on the couch cracking up at his own joke.

"We took pictures," Gil announced while taking a seat on the couch next to the irritating boy and accessing the juiciest one on his digital camera. "Look…"

"Ah!" Ryan jumped back. "Are you trying to give me nightmares?"

"Speaking of nightmares…" Sara walked over and snatched the camera from her child-scaring husband. "Carrie called Wendy earlier and said that Nick was up for company and watching football with his nephews after all. I said we'd be happy to drive the boys and McKenna over and watch some gridiron goodness for awhile so Wendy could have a break and take a nap when Ashley goes down shortly."

Gil smiled brightly at his wife, "Fantastic…you know there's nothing I like better on my day off than watching football or having root canal."

**Whispering Pines  
****3:31p.m. **

As Ellie hugged her father goodbye she said, "Don't go all sappy sweet on me because I'm already eating a ton of candy to ward off cravings and I don't have dental insurance."

"You will when you work for me," Heather cheerily informed her. "I take care of my girls. You'll have educational assistance money too, and I'll expect you to enroll in at least one community college class. It doesn't have to be academic, it can be photography, ballet or pottery…anything that excites you and gets you back into the routine of going to school."

Jim kissed Ellie's cheek. "I promise I won't miss your recital this time if you choose ballet, and you already know I treasure any art projects you make me, because you found that old ashtray."

"Ouch." Ellie gripped her mouth. "You just gave me a cavity, Old Man." Then she saw who walked through the door. "Ugh…what's he doing here?"

"Who?" Jim turned and saw a young man wearing cowboy gear.

"Brad Pitt's in rehab?" Heather remarked while shaking her head. "He never should have broken up with Jennifer Aniston."

"Uh…no." Ellie laughed. "That's Ren the horse freak from Equine therapy. Apparently he knows one of your co-workers, Daddy and was told to keep an eye on me, which translated in Cowboy Lingo must mean ride me in class and not give me a god damn break. He's an ass."

Jim nodded. "Because you speak so highly of everyone here, I think you're a shoe-in for Most Popular at graduation, Honey."

"Hey there, Ms. Brass…how's my favorite reluctant rider?" Ren tipped his black Stetson. "Among other things, I was coming round to see if you were still sore from the other day."

Planting her hands on her hips Ellie snipped, "You mean when I slipped on horse shit, fell on my ass and everyone laughed at me?"

"Yeah…that would be the event to which I'm referring." He cracked a smile. "Howdy," he greeted the man and woman standing with his problematic student. "I'm Ren Clarke, I run the Equine Therapy program for Whispering Pines."

"Nice to meet you," Jim shook the man's hand. "I'm Jim, the father of the reluctant rider, and this lovely woman is my significant other, Heather…we're accountants."

"Nice to meet you ma'am." Ren tipped his hat a second time.

"It's my fault she doesn't like horses," Jim confessed. "I took her on a Carousel as a little girl and she fell off when I moved my hands to let her have some independence."

Ren chuckled, "Counselor Bob will tell you that placing blame is a waste of time. It's all about saddling up and moving forward, isn't that right, Ellie?"

With no enthusiasm whatsoever Ellie replied, "Yep…you gotta giddy up and get on with your life, leaving your nasty habits in the dust. Yee Haw. How was that, Cowboy? I'm smelling the BS on my boots, how about you?"

"Your daughter's a real charmer, Mr. Brass." Ren smiled and started walking away. "I'll see you at high noon tomorrow, Miss Ellie."

"Ooh, Cowboy Ren! Be still my lil' 'ol heart!" She clutched her chest and batted her eyes. "I'll be countin' the seconds!"

**Wildfire Country Club  
****3:44 p.m. **

While Tawny was talking about baby stuff with a gaggle of excited and supportive women at the club, Greg took out his cell phone and made a call. "Bro! Today's the day man and the wait is killing me and while I'm dying a slow and painful death, Tawny is driving me insane!"

"Greggo! Speaking of being driven insane…you'll never guess what I'm doing. I'm at home playing Trivial Pursuit with Hodges and I'm kicking his ass!"

"Uh…you're right, I never would have guessed that." Chuckling Greg said, "If he offers you the full David Hodges experience, take my advice and say no."

"I don't want to know what any of that means."

Glancing over his shoulder to make sure Tawny was occupied, Greg said, "Hey, can you take five and help me with some subterfuge?"

"Sure thing, Man…just give me a sec. Hodges…no cheating. Put the lids on the question boxes and I'll be watching you from the patio."

While Greg waited he watched Tawny gushing with excitement as women felt her belly and showered her with friendly advice.

"Hit it, Greggo. What do you need me to do?"

"Okay…you know how our women love to share personal information?"

"You mean like every embarrassing detail of our sex life? Yeah…painfully aware." Nick burst out laughing. "By the way…did you get to drive the peg home yet, Bro?"

"Ugh…I would have had an opportunity at a party last night if my ex-fantasy girl, Becca didn't have someone slip me GHB so she could sneak me away from Tawny and blow me while I was too out of it to know what was going on."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't really want to get into it," he groaned. "I'm fine, Tawny's cool…now that I roasted my private parts in the Jacuzzi for an hour to get rid of the Becca germs. And don't worry about work…I didn't press charges because it would have been career suicide. I got justice though…in exchange for my incriminating container of GHB urine and a vial with the perp's prints, I secured a free breast reduction for Tawny from one of the best plastic surgeons in the country."

"Uh…"

"Anyway, enough about that, here's what I want you to do…"

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****3:54 p.m. **

While sipping iced tea and counseling Celeste, Carrie saw Nick enter the kitchen sporting a goofy grin. "What has you so giddy?"

Approaching Celeste with a smile, Nick said, "Would you mind giving us a couple of minutes?"

"Oh…" Celeste looked at her watch. "I'm sorry…we've overstayed."

"No…no." Nick pointed to the living room. "I'm in the middle of heated game of Trivial Pursuit with your lesser half. I don't want you to go. I just need to tell Carrie something privately."

"Oh, okay." Celeste smiled and headed out the door for the living room.

"Why didn't you ask us to play, Nicky?" Carrie huffed and gently shoved her man. "You know I love board games."

He opted not to remind that she was a real anal-retentive pain in the ass when playing board games and instead said, "It was a spontaneous challenge." Nick smiled with pride. "We made a bet on the game…if he wins I have to suck up to him for a week at work, but if I win, he has to impregnate his wife." When Carrie punched him in the shoulder he yelped, "What was that for! I said **he** has to impregnate his wife, not **me**!"

"How could you be so flippant about something as important as bringing a child into this world? The decision to have a baby is not **trivial**."

"Jeeeeeeez…could you give me some credit? There's a method to my madness. First off…I was testing him. He never would have agreed to the bet if he knew he could never have kids. Second…I wanted to keep him around to meet Sean and McKenna, because they helped get Grissom and Sara comfortable with the concept of having kids. Personally I can't imagine him as the father of a baby but…" He rubbed his sore muscle. "Did you forget I was shot in the arm last week?"

"Oh!" Carrie pushed up his t-shirt sleeve and planted a tender kiss on the scar. "Sorry…about hitting you and jumping to conclusions."

"Yeah…" He stared her down and then got back on track. "Anyway…I came in here excited to tell you that I just got off the phone with Greg, and he told me how he's going to pop the question tonight. It's cute and I thought you'd get a kick out of it. But now that you punched me…"

"Ooh!" Jumping up and down she pleaded, "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Okay…you know how they're into that fairytale crap…" When he saw her expression morph from giddy to grouchy Nick corrected, "You know how they're into that sweet fairytale stuff…well, they're going to be at this formal dinner tonight…"

"Symbolic of the ball in Cinderella!"

"Ding ding!" He laughed at her Game Show Contestant zeal.

"Oh…I hope Greg doesn't intend to make her lose one of my Manolos in an homage to the glass slipper. Because I love those shoes and…but if he's proposing while she's wearing them, then I think it would be nice for me to give them to her as a…"

"Focusing…" He snapped his fingers. "Welcome back. Okay, Greg is going to take Tawny for a romantic walk on the club grounds and then, at precisely 11:59, he's going to propose, slip the ring on her finger and kiss her until after the stroke of midnight. When he breaks the kiss, he's going to say…it's after midnight and you're still dressed for the dance and my diamond ring hasn't turned into a marble, looks like this fairytale is here to stay…yadda, yadda, yadda…happy, happily ever after, Princess."

"Awww." Carrie's hands went to her heart as she pictured the romantic moment. "She'll love that."

"Yeah." Nick nodded while he thought, _and it's a hell of a lot less humiliating than what he's really going to do. I can't believe that fool is going to sing in front of hundreds of people. _"Anyway…" He rubbed his hands together. "I've got to get back to the game. Would you mind calling for some pizza? Get extra because the kids are coming over with Sara and Gris in a bit."

In a romantic haze Carrie sighed, "Sure…I'll join you in the living room as soon as I'm done on the phone."

"Great." He pecked her lips and strolled out whistling.

As soon as Nick was gone, Carrie rushed for the cordless and punched in Tawny's cell phone number. "Hey!"

"Hey, Girlfriend!" Tawny greeted in a bubbly tone.

In the corner of the kitchen Carrie anxiously whispered into the phone, "If I knew exactly when Greg was going to pop the question, would you want to know, or would you want to be surprised?"

"Oh my gosh! You know! How do you know!"

"He told Nicky!"

"Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

**Wildfire Country Club  
****4:04 p.m. **

While watching Tawny talking a mile a minute on her cell, Greg punched in Nick's cell number.

"How's it going?"

"Girl chat has commenced," Greg reported. "And…wait for it…wait for it…there we go! She just squealed with excitement."

"Dude…if she loves the idea, why not spare yourself the public spectacle and just do the midnight fairytale thing?"

Waving to his mother Greg replied, "Because my mommy would kill me if I backed out now."

"I should have guessed," he groaned. "Damn, if I wasn't laid up I'd drive out to watch you embarrass yourself."

Laughing in advance of his friend's reaction Greg said, "Don't worry…Mommy Dearest is paying someone to film it."

"I should have guessed that too." A laborious sigh followed. "Yeah…she'll be snuggling up with your childhood pal…**Mr. Peebles the Ass**, while munching popcorn and sobbing as she watches her little boy turn over his life to another woman."

"While the rest of it is probably true, she won't be able to snuggle with Mr. Peebles because I snatched him. I'm bringing him back to Vegas with me."

"Great…Vegas could use another Democrat, and you're going to need something to hold once Tawny gets crabby from lugging your spawn around in her gut for months."

**Grissom's Car  
****4:15 p.m. **

"Is everyone buckled up?" Sara asked in a motherly tone while looking at the three kids seated in the rear of the vehicle.

Familiar with the question from their overprotective mother, all three Blake kids gave a silent thumbs up.

"Excellent." Sara buckled herself and whispered to Gil, "It's really weird seeing three kids in the back of your car."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Gil turned the ignition and as he drove away he pensively asked, "One's plenty, right?"

"Definitely."

"I gotta go potty!" McKenna announced from her place between her brothers.

"She's lying," Ryan groaned. "She just wants to go back and get a toy or something she forgot. She pulls this all the time."

Gil and Sara exchanged tense smiles as they both envisioned a puddle of pee on the fine leather.

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment**

**4:17 p.m. **

Carrie and Celeste were sharing the brown leather love seat watching the game and falling a little harder for their men…

"Here we go…" Nick sat back grinning and pulled a card. "Sports and Leisure for a pie, Hodges."

"Let it be leisure, please let it be leisure," Hodges chanted.

"Ha! Who was the first football coach to win the Rose, Orange, Cotton and Sugar Bowls?" He glanced over at the ladies. "There's no way in hell he knows this, is there, Celeste?"

"I certainly hope not!" Celeste excitedly shouted. Nick was up four pieces of pie to her pregnancy adverse man's two. Nick had pulled her aside and filled her in on his plan to keep Hodges around until Ryan, Sean and McKenna came to see how he interacted with them.

"Pass," Hodges snipped while handing over the die.

Nick laughed. "You don't even want to guess because I keep ripping on you for those idiotic replies, huh?"

When Carrie saw her man roll a five she clapped, "Yes! You need Science and Nature, move right."

When Nick's blue game piece landed on the brown space Hodges read, "What tropical trees, infected with witches' broom and frosty pod rot, worried chocoholics in 2000?"

"Ooh!" Carrie, a big-time chocoholic, covered her mouth to stop the answer from popping out.

Celeste smiled. "That's easy."

"For a Trace Tech," Hodges clarified while staring down his opponent.

But Nick immediately and confidently replied, "The cocoa tree."

"Wait!" Carrie jumped up, cutting off Hodges before he could say the answer was wrong. In a flash she was whispering in his ear, "Let him spell it, because sometimes with the Texas accent he says things kind of funny. Maybe he's got the right answer but it doesn't sound like it to us."

"Where in the rules does it say I have to give him a chance to spell it?"

Stuffing her hands on her hips Carrie chortled, "You're challenging **me **about knowing the rules? His accent is a handicap and unless you're ready to face a discrimination lawsuit, you'll allow the accommodation!"

Hodges huffed in Nick's direction, "Please spell your answer."

Not understanding the confusion but loving the appearance of Kick-ass Carrie, Nick happily played along, "C-O-C-O…cocoa tree."

As Hodges burst into a fit of laughter Carrie chomped on her bottom lip. "Sorry, Honey…I was trying to help."

"What's so funny!" Nick demanded.

Hodges was more than happy to fill in the blanks. "The correct answer was Cacao Tree, which your fiancée thought you were saying with a funny Texas accent, so she wanted you to spell it, but when you did, not only did you get the answer wrong, you spelt cocoa wrong. There's an 'a' at the end of it. C-O-C-O-**A**. And pardon me if you disagree, but I think that's far more embarrassing not knowing **that**, versus the name of some obscure football coach."

"Joe Paterno is not obscure!" Nick barked back. "And you only know how to spell cocoa…because you spent all your lonely Saturday nights staring at the Swiss Miss Girl on the C-O-C-O-**A** box !"

"Where does chocolate milk come from, Stokes?" Hodges asked in a giddy laugh. "Ha! Admit it! Your first thought was a chocolate cow!" Then he said, "Hey, Carrie…repeat after me…silk, silk, silk."

"Silk, silk, silk."

"What does a cow drink?" Hodges prompted.

"Water."

Nick cringed. "Are we playing the game, or playing games here? I'm waiting…"

**Greg's Sequoia  
****4:31 p.m. **

Driving home from the club to get ready for the big party that night, Tawny closed her eyes and imagined the plan Carrie had shared. She could see Greg, looking so handsome in his new suit and tie, nervously strolling her down a path to a secluded spot. Then, in a very private moment, presenting the most beautiful diamond ring and slipping it on her finger as both their hands trembled. A smile crested on her face as she relaxed, grateful she wouldn't have to spend the whole night wondering when he'd propose. Now she could enjoy dinner and dancing all the while knowin, at the stroke of midnight, her fairytale would have a happy ending.

After pulling into the driveway of his parents' home, Greg glanced over and saw Tawny with her eyes closed and a giddy smile on her face. He had no doubt she was pondering the proposal ruse and was thrilled the plan had worked. Now, she wouldn't be anxious all night and when the moment arrived four hours earlier than Tawny believed it would, she'd be stunned. "I love you," Greg softly said as he gripped her hand. "In case I'm nervous later and forget to mention that, I thought I'd say it now."

Opening her eyes she dreamily replied, "At the stroke of midnight I'll be your fiancée."

"Don't you mean **by** the stroke of midnight?" He fought not to laugh at the slip. "Because I said between sunset and the stroke of midnight."

"Yes! I meant **by **the stroke of midnight." She chewed her bottom lip hoping he didn't get suspicious. "Greg…don't be nervous. What matters to me is that it's a special, intimate moment for the two of us to share and treasure for the rest of our lives. I mean…it's not like you'll be proposing in front of the entire club with a million eyes staring at you, waiting for you to blow it, and laughing at you when you very sweetly trip over your words, right? Now **that** would be something to give you an ulcer." Leaning over she brushed his cheek with a tender kiss. "Awww…you know I love you, Greg …and you already know my answer. So, what's there to be nervous about?"

"Uh…" While terror seized him, Greg choked out, "Right…nothing…nothing to fear at all." _Except for the freakin' nightmare you just planted in my head! Oh my God! What was I thinking! _"Princess…I'm uh…going to walk you to the door then head back out for a few supplies for tonight." With a trembling hand he opened the car door and walked around to meet her.

"Ooh…romantic supplies I hope. Flowers?"

As his stomach churned Greg forced a smile and began a mental shopping list. _Antacid…heavy duty deodorant... _

"Chocolate?"

As Tawny continued to swoon, Greg's shopping list became a packing list. _Maximum strength aspirin...a magician's box so I can disappear after I make a fool of myself and you're too embarrassed to say yes…_

"Faux champagne and strawberries?"

_A fake mustache…dark sunglasses…a ball cap…a bus ticket to Mexico...anti-diarrhea medicine…cash…a new identity…Mr. Peebles, so I'm not alone for the rest of my life…_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Nicky's home and Carrie is spoiling her man and most importantly…making him SHAVE! Ahhh the beauty of Fanfiction…you can make the characters do what you want.

Sean's Biblical lesson from Grissom is timely considering Mike Rodgers just became an ordained minister thanks to a $400 correspondence study course (Yes, believe it or not that is possible…I verified it on the Internet and with my official prison resource EyerishEyes).

Greg fulfilled another fantasy…public sunscreen application by a babe.

Fancy ferret pictures, Hodges and Nick locked in a board game battle, and more country club/proposal chaos to round out the chappie and ramp up the levity.

I hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks for your reviews: Misty-J, Southern CSI lover and El Gringo Loco! Always appreciated!

**Next Chapter:** The Trivial Pursuit showdown continues…the Grissoms bring Sean, Ryan and McKenna to Nick & Carrie's and stick around for the fun…and "Come What May" - **it's proposal time**! **Posting:** Wedensday morning

**Thanks for reading,  
****Maggs**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: I've posted 2 chapters at once…33 and 34 (because it was over 12,000 words as one). **

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 33**

**September 3, 2005  
****Ralph's Grocery Store  
****4:40 p.m. **

On the verge of hurling, Greg stood in aisle five of the store and with a trembling hand brought his cell to his ear. Anxiously waiting for Nick to answer, he paced by the large selection of stomach acid products and attempted to regulate his breathing.

"Hey! Riddle me this, Chuckles…what kind of tree is chocolate made from?"

"Cacao."

"Ugh…hold on a sec…"

Holding his head Greg started pacing again.

"Okay, I'm on the patio so they can't hear me…or make fun of me. Spell cocoa."

The odd questions were a nice distraction. "C-O-C-O-A. You left off the A and he reamed you, right?"

"Yeah."

Much to his surprise Greg found himself laughing along with Nick. "Here's the thing…Coco without the A is a stripper name as well as the name of a woman's perfume. It's an understandable mistake considering your history with babes…and your pain meds are probably making you a little slow."

"True, but I have to tell you, Buddy…it sucks looking like a fool in front of Hodges."

"Trust me, I can empathize." Greg shuddered as the embarrassing memory assaulted him…

_Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Hodges recounted the pathetic details, "Okay, Sanders…we were sitting on the couch in my apartment. You finished your King of Pain loser solo with flair, polished off your bottle of tequila, and then you started rambling about some **Becca chick**…that she didn't know what she was talking about, that she didn't know the mistake she made, and then…" He cringed. "You planted one on me." _

"_OH!" Greg frantically pointed at Hodges. "I remember now! OH!" He enjoyed the euphoric effects of the Eureka moment. "I was proving I **wasn't **gay by kissing you and confirming it didn't do anything for me. Which it didn't." _

Moving beyond the squick of the memory, Greg focused on the realization that Tawny and his mother were right about Becca. For fifteen years she had been a great friend but she had also been one who tormented him, screwed with his mind, filled him with self-doubt, and thrust him into various states of confusion. And yet, after each friendship-ending episode, Becca managed to manipulate her way back into his life. Dr. Myers had counseled Greg that Becca only managed to do so because he let her…and she had successfully done it again that morning…because he let her.

There, in aisle five of Ralph's on the day he was to get engaged to a woman who was the antithesis of Becca, Greg closed his eyes and heard a voice in his head say…just because Becca befriended you when you were planning to kill yourself again, doesn't me she owns your life fifteen years later…and just because your mother saved your life once, doesn't give her the right to control your life now.

"Greggo! Where'd you go, Man?" Nick prodded.

"Uh…" Remembering why he called Nick, Greg pleaded, "I need your help, Bro. I need you to tell me how you walked onto the football field to play in front of all those people without being nervous."

"What the hell makes you think I wasn't nervous every time I walked on the field?" Nick gave an easy laugh. "Are you kidding? I was scared shitless that I was going to mess up and look like a fool in front of my team, family, friends, alum and who knows how many people on TV. Hell…I'd get the runs for days prior to a game, and I swallowed antacids the entire season."

"Okay, that just made things substantially worse, thanks." Staring at the shelves of antacid tablets, Greg gripped his stomach and leaned against a display of hemorrhoid cream. "What if I make a total ass of myself on stage? I'm dying here…I can't even **think **about walking up there without bile rising, so how the hell am I going to **do** it later!"

"Sounds like a real bad case of performance anxiety."

"**Duh**! I don't need a diagnosis! I need a solution!" With the back of his hand he wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. "Sorry…uh…can tell me what you did before a big game to get you psyched up?"

"I did a hundred push ups, two hundred crunches, and punched my heavy bag for thirty minutes straight to feel powerful."

Greg's brows knitted. "Well, that will definitely solve my problem, because I'll be **dead** after doing all that!"

"I was yankin' your chain, Bro…if I did all that before a game I would have been too tired to play. Here's the trick…visualization." In a nostalgic tone he coached, "Before games I'd visualize running for the end zone, being in the right place at the right time, jumping higher than I ever had, feeling the ball hit my hands, gripping it stronger than ever before, planting my feet firmly on the field…and then the glory…the roar of the crowd as I heard the word 'touchdown' blasting in my head."

"Visualization…" Greg forced himself to breathe slower.

"In your case you'll want to visualize the whole proposal, see yourself doing everything right…taking the stage relaxed, hearing your voice loud and confident, knowing the words to the song, presenting the ring, and then…the glory…the ring sparkling on Tawny's finger and her happiness. Repeat the visual as many times as you can before you take the stage tonight."

"Okay," Greg gulped as he opened his eyes. "Visualize success…got it."

"Great! Now here's another trick if you get overwhelmed by the crowd when you take the stage…block everyone watching you…well, everyone but Tawny in your case. Pretend you have a giant eraser and make them all disappear until it's just you and Tawny. See only her…and sing directly to her like no one else is watching."

"Block everyone…got it."

"Then, if you're feeling scared, do some channeling to find power. In my case, I liked to channel all the animosity I had for my brother. It helped that I knew he was watching me too…and the couple of games he missed, I just pretended he was watching on TV. I'd think about something he did to piss me off, a name he called me, or some arrogant shit he talked. I'd let it all build inside me like a giant boiling vat of oil and then when I took the field, I used it as fuel to light myself on fire and explode."

"Interesting choice of example," Greg remarked while practically ripping out his hair. "…I mean considering your brother slept with Tawny on multiple occasions before soliciting her for prostitution, and since I have an intense fear of fire from almost dying in an explosion…yeah, I really didn't need to be reminded of any of that right now. Prior to that one you were on a roll though."

"Damn…I am a little slow on the uptake today. Here…give me another chance." Nick cleared his throat and rephrased. "Think of someone who told you that you weren't good enough. Picture that person out there watching you and say to yourself, 'I'm going to perform better than I ever have in my life just to prove to the jerk they don't know what they're talking about. Take the stage with something to prove. Don't go up there content with just doing okay…go up there determined to **kick ass**!"

"Cop an 'I've got something to prove/kick-ass' attitude…got it."

"And lastly, remember this…if you do fumble, it's not going to make a difference to the people who really care about you." Then he laughed, "Seriously, Greggo, if you go up there, faint, hit the ground unconscious and let the ring tumble out of your hand onto the stage so Tawny has to pick it up and put it on before scraping your ass off the floor…she'll **still** be thrilled. My proposal was nothing like I planned, hell…I was supposed to be in Paris but we ended up in Dallas in my parents' stable and the only ambiance was the aroma of horse shit and a soundtrack of whinnies, but in that final moment, it was perfect…."

"_I know we've only been together a few months, and some people might not think that's enough time, but I can't wait another day…another hour. Hell, I can't wait another minute!" Releasing Carrie's hands, Nick dove into his pocket for the ring. _

"_You really are…" _

"_I can't wait another second!" Brimming with confidence, Nick took her left hand. "Carrie Blake, I love you with all my heart and you will make me the happiest man alive if you'll agree to marry me, and spend the rest of your life with me. Please say yes." _

"_YES!" She shouted while throwing her arms around his neck and tackling him against the horse blankets. _

"And, Greggo…" Changing from coach to friend he shared, "…while the proposal was a fantastic moment in my life, I have to be honest, there have been a bunch of moments since then that rocked my world even more, so don't think this one moment will be your only chance to feel the glory. The proposal should be romantic and fun and something you'll remember forever but, it's not the be all and end all of your relationship…it's really just a starting point. So, if you do mess up, the good news is you'll get plenty of other chances to be her Prince Charming, okay?"

"Okay." Breathing a little easier, Greg nodded. "Thanks, Bro."

"Hey…I'm just practicing my role as your Best Man, it's my duty to keep the Groom calm."

"Speaking of that…when do you think you'll be feeling well enough for a wedding and when will I be able to have a couple of days off? Because I'm sure my mom and Tawny will want to book the date as soon as possible."

"Other than picking you up if you pass out, I should be able to fulfill all required Best Man duties in three weeks and don't you worry, I'll get you the time off. You've been out on mandated medical and that doesn't count against your personal time."

"I really appreciate the pep talk" Glancing at his watch Greg sighed, "Okay…it's time for me to head back and get ready for the night."

"Hey, if you're not too caught up in the excitement afterwards, call us and let us know how it went. Carrie and I will be here, and Gris and Sara are coming over…I'm sure they'll want to hear the good news too."

**Grissom's Mercedes  
****4:45 p.m.**

"I really hafta go!" shrieked McKenna as she squirmed against the fine leather and pounded Ryan in the arm with her tiny fist. "I told you I wasn't faking!"

"There's a McDonald's not too far from here," Gil assured the frantic girl while stepping on the gas. "We can stop there."

"Don't speed," Sara chided. "If we have a fender-bender she'll definitely pee."

Gil's brows knitted. "In all the years we've driven together, you've never been a bossy passenger before, Sara."

"We've never had three kids in the backseat before." Pointing to her abdomen she also scolded, "And let's not forget we have our own precious cargo along for the ride. Kids change everything…we're not just responsible for our own asses anymore."

"Bad word!" Ryan gladly busted the irresponsible adult. "Need I remind you, Mrs. Grissom, there are impressionable youths on board?"

Gil couldn't hide his amusement.

When she saw her husband laughing at her Sara grabbed a water bottle from the cup holder, and twisted open the cap and smirked. "McKenna, Sweetie…would you like a cold drink?"

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****4:47 p.m. **

As Carrie watched Celeste expertly sniff the glass of 2002 Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon she curiously asked, "What do you think of the aroma, Neighbor?" She had just found out that Celeste had also grown up in wine country only an hour from where she was raised.

"Hints of plums and blackberries…definitely some vanilla." Celeste paused for another discerning whiff. "Clove?"

"Oooh, you're good," Carrie praised while she read the notes that came with the fifty-four dollar reserve bottle her father had given her during his visit the previous weekend. "Ha!" Shaking with laughter she clutched the paper to her chest. "You missed one, and it's hilarious."

"Allow me." Hodges reached for the glass and let his sensitive nose go to work. "Ha!"

"Give me that." Nick snatched it from his opponents hand and took a big sniff. "Hmm…there's definitely some grapes in there," he joked. "Smells nice, but I'll be sticking to my fake beer and Vicodin thanks."

Snuggling up to her man on the couch Carrie teasingly whispered in his ear, "I'll give you a hint…it ends in the letter A."

Realizing he'd be saddled for the cocoa error for years to come Nick mumbled, "Oh, shit."

"That ends in T," Hodges was quick to point out. "Which is what **turn **starts with." He handed over the die. "That time the answer really was cocoa."

Ignoring the annoying guest, Nick moved four and readied for his history question. "Too bad this isn't for a pie because history is a cake walk for me."

"Who said the Equal Rights Amendment would encourage women to 'leave their husbands, kill their children' and 'practice witchcraft?"

Carrie and Celeste simultaneously groaned and realized they were on the same side of the political party line.

Nick quickly replied, "An idiot, but I suppose you're looking for a name."

"Yep." Hodges couldn't wait for the wrong guess.

"Good thing I know the name too…Pat Robertson." Nick slipped his arm around Carrie and reclined on the couch. "With five liberal sisters, a mother who knows Hilary Clinton's cell phone number, and two Texas Republican males sharing my family dinner table…this independent boy remembers the heated debate over that comment well."

Without considering his audience, Hodges remarked, "Pat Robertson is one man, he isn't the entire Republican Party."

"Oh! **Oh!**" But before Carrie could explode over the comment, Nick kissed her, and she heard Celeste frantically yell…

"You're **a Republican,** David!"

"Yes."

Stunned by the question Carrie pushed Nick away and blasted her new friend, "I can see forgetting to ask if he wanted kids because you assumed he did, but you didn't ask him his **political views** before you married him! And what kind of Republican are you, Hodges if you use contraception so you don't want to bring babies into the world!"

"Holy hell, here we go." Having been traumatized by family arguments over politics his whole life Nick sighed, "Hodges, you idiot…you shoulda said Independent."

**The Sanders Home  
****4:49 p.m. **

With a shaky hand, Greg quietly knocked on his parents' bedroom door and readied to assert himself.

"Come in," Bev sang out and when she saw her son walk through the door she hurried over. "You look sick. Are you sick? You can't be sick."

"I'm not sick…I'm nervous." Greg saw his father emerge from the bathroom cinching his white spa robe.

"I'll help you out, Son…she's definitely going to say yes."

"I know that, Dad." Greg exhaled sharply as he took a seat on the bed's edge. "Mom…I hope you won't be too disappointed but…"

"No," Bev firmly answered. "No way! Not a chance in hell, Gregory!"

"I didn't even…"

Incensed, she barked, "You're not backing out hours before you're set to take the stage!"

Scott took a seat next to his son and kept his mouth shut as his wife went off.

"This whole thing was your idea, not mine. I put a lot of work into making the arrangements and I've spent a nice sum of money to ensure it's wonderful…and Tawny deserves something wonderful after putting up with Becca's shenanigans…and yours!" Marching back and forth across the room she huffed, "And this isn't only about you. My students gave up personal time to rehearse because they were promised a chance to perform in front of club members, some of whom are well connected in the entertainment business. Lastly…I'm practicing tough love now, remember? You made a commitment to do something and I'm not letting you take the easy way out just because you're scared. So buck up and be prepared to face the music!"

"Mom!" Greg shouted. "Can you please **listen **to what I have to say!" When he saw her cross her arms and stare quietly at him, he continued, "Before you jumped down my throat I was about to say…would you be disappointed if I didn't wear the special tie you bought me for tonight? It's really nice and I know it cost a lot of money but, I found one that compliments Tawny's fuchsia dress and want to wear it."

"Oh." Bev relaxed her stance. "Sure, Honey…you can wear my tie another time. It will make a nice court tie for work."

Scott patted his boy on the back. "Nice job asserting yourself."

"Thanks, Dad." Greg stood up and smiled at his mother, "And, Mom…there's something else I need to tell you." Placing his hand on her shoulder he broke the news. "When I return to Vegas…Mr. Peebles is coming with me."

**McDonald's  
****5:08 p.m. **

"Come on, McKenna." In a hurry to return to the car to use her anti-bacterial wipes, Sara took the mesmerized little girl's hand. "What are you staring at?"

The girl pointed her tiny index finger towards the large menu with pictures. "Chicken nuggets." With wide eyes she turned her gaze to her babysitter. "I had them at a friend's house once. They're yummy. We not allowed to have them at home."

"Right…no meat or fried food in your mom's kitchen."

"Sara?" Gil called as he walked over. "I was getting worried. I thought maybe you had a panic attack trying to use the germy bathroom."

"Funny."

"Pleeeeeeease can I get nuggets," McKenna asked as she tugged on Sara's jeans. "Pleeeeeeease."

Next Ryan came through the door. "Is she hounding you for nuggets?"

"Yep," the dutiful sister answered. "Just like you told me to, Bro!"

"Why did Sean stay in the car?" Gil inquired while peering out the window.

"Duh…" Ryan remarked while salivating over the aroma of beef in the air. "You told him to wait in the car. If you told him to shave his head, wear a necklace made out of dead crickets, and dance under a full moon, he'd do that too."

When Gil saw Sean glance his way he opened the door and yelled, "Come in…we're getting some food."

"Yay! We can have bad fried meat!" McKenna raced to the counter.

Looking around the place Sara's stomach flipped. Not only were people chomping on ground beef, the tables looked sticky and so did every barefoot child running around the germ-infested play area. "We need to eat in the car."

"Are you crazy?" Gil blurted as he joined McKenna at the counter. "I'm not letting three kids eat greasy food in my pristine Mercedes."

Focused on her prize McKenna spoke loudly to the cashier. "Nuggets please! Lots of them. Do I get a toy too?" she asked while pointing to the display of Disney character toys.

"Only if your Daddy buys you a happy meal," the exhausted woman droned before glancing at her watch for the hundredth time.

"He's not my Daddy. My Daddy doesn't even know we're here." McKenna eagerly volunteered information loud enough for the cashier, counter workers and surrounding customers to hear, "He's my brother's best friend. They go to farms to watch bugs eat rotting bodies, sometimes they tear apart dead pigeons they find in the backyard, and they race cockroaches too."

Shaking her head Sara watched to see if the woman grabbed a phone to call child protective services.

"Uh…" Gil slapped a twenty dollar bill on the counter. "We'll take everything to go."

**Becca's** **House  
****5:19 p.m. **

While Shanna unloaded the take out Chinese onto the kitchen counter, Becca mindlessly stirred her Cosmopolitan. "He really shouted all that through a megaphone to everyone at the club pool?"

"Yup," Shanna confirmed while opening a box of pot stickers. "And then he kissed her like he was going off to war."

Glancing up from her drink Becca asked, "Do you think the Amish have some sort of secret hypnotic power? I mean…Mormons have secret ceremonies, right? Maybe the Amish take it a step further…maybe they…"

"Becks…" Shanna filled her friend's half-empty glass. "I think you're looking for a complicated answer when it's really very simple. He loves her."

"But **why**?" she whined. "Looks aside, what does she have to offer him?"

"Her ovaries apparently."

"Oh!" Becca jumped from her chair. "That's it! You said that Hoj said Tawny was told she could never have children naturally, right!"

"Yeah, but…."

"Hoj didn't want to have kids! Don't you see…he never thought she'd get pregnant! That's what he meant earlier when he told me that **he** manipulated and trapped Tawny! He told her that he wanted kids when he really didn't, and by not using something…he believes he trapped her."

"But how do you explain the excitement announcing it at the club?"

Becca relaxed and informed her deluded friend, "That was all an act by the pool because **she** was excited and he felt guilty and was trying to make her think he was happy too. Trust me…Hoj can front with the best of them." A smile erupting on her face Becca said, "I bet he's desperate to get out of the situation."

After a sip Shanna laughed, "What…are you gonna push blondie down the stairs now since you've already tried all the other tricks you learned on All My Children?"

"I'm desperate, not evil." Becca plopped onto her stool. "I couldn't hurt an innocent baby. Hmm…" She pondered the problem aloud, "Maybe…hmm…maybe, Hoj doesn't think he can leave because his father would think he's irresponsible for not taking care of Tawny." She smacked the counter. "I've got it! I'll offer Farm Girl a big fat check to get lost! Then Hoj won't feel guilty that she's destitute because she'll be rolling in dough."

"Yeah? Well, you better do it soon because you said Hoj was proposing this weekend, and Saturday night is traditionally the night for romance."

"I'll need to draw up a contract to go with the check too!" she yelled while running out of the room for her office. "Yes!"

**The Sanders Home  
****5:24 p.m. **

Alone in the guestroom wearing her favorite pink satin robe and preparing for the evening, Tawny stood in front of the mirror practicing her proposal reply. "Yes," she shyly said while holding out her left hand. "Yes!" she squealed while frantically flapping her left hand.

"I told her the ass is mine!" Greg shouted as he whipped open the guestroom door.

Playing along with her man Tawny said, "Did you hear that, Mr. Peebles…we don't have to smuggle you out of here because Greg finally found the courage to tell his Mommy he wanted control of his own ass."

Greg grabbed the stuffed animal from the closet and mocked Mr. Peebles's voice while clapping the donkey's front legs together. "Yay! I've always wanted to gamble and booze all night in Vegas! I have this fantasy…" He rested the donkey on Tawny's shoulder and made it speak in her ear. "I dream of meeting a beautiful piece of ass one night and I go to her place and she falls madly in love with me." Changing back to his normal voice Greg counseled his friend. "I have some unused condoms for you to take along because..."

"Chuckles…" Tawny took Mr. Peebles and set him on the dresser. "Let's stop talking to the donkey just for tonight." Slipping her arms around Greg's waist she murmured, "I've got this whole Greg Sanders, Romantic Superstar thing going on in my head and watching you play the part of an ass is buzz kill."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****5:25 p.m.**

When the political feud brought Trivial Pursuit to a grinding halt, Nick sat back and enjoyed Kick-Ass Carrie kicking Hodges's ass while gulping his fiancée's glass of cocoa-laced wine.

"Do you know what else Pat Robertson said?" Carrie blasted, "He said, there was nothing in the Constitution to back the concept about separation of church and state! Hello! And he said this quote…ugh…'I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband.'" Turning her eyes for a moment she asked, "Do you agree with that, Nicky?"

"Hell no!" Nick raised an empty wine glass and upped his enthusiasm. "I'm all about equality, Baby! And you know I'm not just sayin' this to get laid because I'm not allowed to have sex for another week…which is real unfortunate considering how turned on I get when you're in pit bull mode. And I can't believe I just said all that in front of company."

Having reached his limit Hodges shouted, "I'm not a Pat Robertson supporter! How could I be? I'm an Agnostic! I don't even acknowledge secular Christmas because I can't stand all the merriness and commercialism shoved in my face."

Nick tilted his head, "Explains why I didn't get anything the year you were my Secret Santa."

In a panic Hodges asked, "Are you going to hold that against me on Evaluation Day?"

"Can't…different eval period."

Hodges breathed a little easier knowing he'd have a job after he lost his wife and personal life.

Despondency seizing her, Celeste sank deeper into her chair. "I can't believe I'm married to a kid-hating Republican who loathes Christmas when I'm a child-loving Democrat who had to rent a storage unit because I didn't have enough closet space to store my six-foot tall nutcrackers and life-size animated Santa and Mrs. Claus."

"All hope's not lost!" Carrie enthused, trying to help the heartbroken woman. "You still have the Six Million Dollar Man and cream soda!"

"Cream soda is gross, but I loved the Six Million Dollar Man as a kid," Nick announced while recalling a scene from his youth. "I'd go all over the ranch pretending I was the bionic man…making the cool noise and…" The ring of the doorbell stopped the overshare. "I'll get it!" Feeling no pain or shame after his last dose of meds, Nick made bionic action noise and headed for the door in slow motion. "How's this workin' for you Carrie?"

"About as well as the facial hair was, Nicky," she teased while thrilled he was the most relaxed she'd seen him since the Shelly stress hit.

"Uncle Nick!" Sean burst through the open door with the Grissoms, Ryan, and McKenna trailing behind. "I went to the body farm and didn't vomit! And look at this…" He produced the ALS. "Dr. Grissom gave it to me for my birthday."

Hodges immediately asked, "Did Grissom misappropriate lab resources?"

"Why are you here?" Sara deadpanned upon hearing the accusation. Then she saw the giant football gift basket with Hodges's name in giant letters on the card. "Sucking up to your new boss before he even returns to the lab? Have you no shame?"

"Uncle Nicky!" McKenna rushed him with open arms, but her aunt intercepted. "Hey!"

"Remember, Sweetie…he has an owie and you'll hurt him if you squeeze too hard."

Nick took the little girl's hand. "Come sit with me on the couch. You can share whatever you have in that McDonald's bag with me and meet a weird man."

"More weird than Mr. Grissom?" McKenna innocently inquired.

Grinning as he gently pulled his almost-niece on his lap Nick said, "It's a tie actually…but they're different kinds of weird."

"May I use your restroom, Carrie?" Grissom politely inquired as he showed his hands. "I've been picking greasy French fries off my back seat."

"Right this way…" Carrie started down the hall. "It seems odd to think you've never been here, but you haven't."

"I get that a lot."

While the grown ups chatted, Sean donned tinted glasses and turned on the ALS. "Let's start looking for sweat stains like Dr. Grissom told me to," the curious boy whispered. "Here…" He handed over the second pair of glasses.

"This is cool…I can handle the detective part of being a science geek." With his glasses in place Ryan changed to a mysterious tone. "Let's investigate."

As Sara settled on the loveseat she stared at the woman sniffling in the corner of the room. "Who is that?"

"My wife," Hodges replied. "She's uh…allergic to Nick's rancid cologne. That's why her eyes are watering."

"What!" Nick snapped in mid chomp of a chicken nugget. "Your wife is crying because she's married to an Anti-Christmas child-hating Republican."

"Wow…Hodges," Sara stared at her co-worker. "That's quite an unusual combo." When she saw her husband emerge from the hallway Sara patted the open space on the loveseat. "You've got to hear this…"

"Dr. Grissom! I found something!" Sean exclaimed with a hefty dose of pride. "Over here, on the back of the couch! Lots of sweat!"

When she saw the boys using the ALS, Sara's blood boiled. "No…you didn't. I can't believe you! You told him to go on a protein hunt **here**? Carrie is his aunt! You really are a dirty old man."

"Relax…I told him he was looking for sweat," Gil casually whispered while kissing his wife's cheek. Then he smirked at Nick. "It's a little poolhouse payback. We're still waiting for that replacement couch cushion because it's on backorder."

"Oh…" Sara's face lit up. "In that case…let's check it out."

"Carrie's gonna flip." Nick let his laughter flow the CSIs and the CSI wannabes examined the evidence. "Hey, Carr!" While he was waiting for her to approach, Nick remembered the playful memory of the night before their trip to Flagstaff, when he had just busted Carrie about the Girl Chat transcript…

"_By the way, my next trip activity choice is role-play." Carrie announced while watching Nick shuck his clothes in the middle of the living room._

_Knowing she was enjoying the view Nick stood still. "Well…you're going to have to remind me to write that down, because I'm a little preoccupied right now." _

_Leaning over the back of the couch she let her eyes drift lower. "I'll say." _

"_Do me a favor, Roxie..." He began strolling around the sofa to meet her. "…hold that position." _

"Check it out, girlfriend." Pointing to the sofa Sara said, "You're a little sloppy when you exercise at home. It would appear you did some vigorous sweating over here at some point."

Nick prompted his befuddled fiancée. "Remember number three?" He pointed to the back of the couch. "They found evidence of sweat."

"You mean? Oh, God!" Carrie shrieked when she realized why Gil and Sara were laughing their asses off. "I bought the couch used!"

Nick burst out laughing as Grissom instructed Sean to point the light at the carpet directly below the 'sweat stain' on the back of the couch. "Darlin' you walked right into that one. Here comes the 'A Ha!' moment."

A second later Grissom copped a lawyerly tone, "Ms. Blake…did you buy the carpet used as well?"

"I need to go out front and wait for the pizza!" Carrie shouted as she grabbed an open bottle of wine and rushed the door with fire-red cheeks.

**The Sanders Home  
****5:45 p.m. **

His stomach churning, his cheeks flushed, and his palms dripping with sweat, Greg desperately tried to knot his fuchsia and pink striped tie but failed every time.

"Need some help?" Tawny sweetly inquired as she emerged from the bathroom dressed for a dreamy night.

"Whoa…"

Her lips fanning into a radiant smile Tawny slowly turned. "So..." She demurely smoothed her hands over the strapless fuchsia silk dress. "Do you like it?"

"It's perfect…elegant. You look phenomenal. I've never seen your hair that way before…I love it." Her locks were curled in gentle tendrils, giving her a delicate femininity that was a far cry from the sex-oozing topless girl bathed in glitter he met at Tweeters. "Wow." With his undone tie flopping around his neck Greg approached and took Tawny's hands. "I…" Before he got out the next word, Tawny was frantically frisking him. "What are you…oh…you're checking to see if I'm packing…a diamond ring."

"Busted. And you look quite handsome in a black pinstripe www.msmaggs/gregfancy.jpg suit." Tugging the tie off his neck, she put it around hers and quickly knotted it. "I bet your Mommy has the ring in her purse, am I right?"

"You know it," he confirmed while bending so she could slip the tie over his head. "You know what I was thinking about while you were getting ready?"

"Tell me." Tenderly she adjusted the tie while Greg spoke with a quiver in his voice.

"I was remembering how scared I was when I was running your pregnancy test at the lab. Did I ever tell you I vomited twice after hearing the results?"

"No." Slipping her arms around his waist Tawny whispered, "I remember you holding me as we sat in your car…your whole body was shaking and your heart was pounding so hard I thought it would come out of your chest."

"We've come a long way," Greg murmured as he initiated an Eskimo kiss. "I'm not scared anymore."

Gliding her hands up his back she whispered, "Then why is your body shaking and your heart thumping?"

"Anticipation," he answered as he grazed a kiss over her lips.

Eyes closed, hearts pounding they drifted deeper into the kiss.

"Kids!" Scott called though the closed door.

Greg and Tawny snapped out of the moment like two errant children and broke into delicious smiles.

"It's time to go."

"It's time." Tawny gushed with excitement when Greg grabbed her hand. "I'm so glad the wait is over."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****6:01 p.m. **

"The pizza's still not here?" Nick impatiently asked Carrie who was sitting on the steps with her bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Holding his side he gingerly took a seat next to her.

"I forgot to order it," she confessed while handing over the empty bottle. "I was talking to Tawny and got so caught up in the excitement of the proposal, I forgot you asked…I didn't remember until I was out here, but then I was too mortified to go back inside."

"Aww…come on now." Nick cracked a smile. "They wouldn't tease you if they didn't feel close to you, Darlin'. It was a payback joke for us foolin' around in their poolhouse." Tossing his arm around her he pulled her close. "It's not like they didn't know we made love, it was the focus of girl chat, remember?"

Resting her head on his shoulder she guiltily whispered, "Speaking of girl chat…I told Tawny how and when Greg was going to pop the question. I'm really sorry. But in my defense…you didn't say not to tell her."

"Telling her was what Greg was counting on Darlin'."

"Huh?"

"It was a set up. He asked me to tell you the lie, knowing that you'd call Tawny and if offered the chance to find out she'd take it."

"That's so sneaky!" she blasted.

"Excuse me, Roxie?" He laughed in her face. "You're the one who called Tawny on the sly and spilled the beans, but **I'm** sneaky?"

"Ugh…when you put it that way." She ran her fingers through her hair and giggled, "I'm a little tipsy."

"I noticed." Flipping open his cell, Nick found the pizzeria number on speed dial. "Darlin'… you had an emotional week and deserve a break."

Laughing at herself Carrie said, "At the risk of sounding like a Pat Robertson groupie, I'll confess that every once in a while I really do enjoy taking the night off and letting my man take care of me."

"I'll make you a deal…" After tucking Carrie's curly brown hair behind her ear so he could see her beautiful smile Nick said, "I won't tell my mom and my sisters you said that, if you don't tell your Dad and your brother that I can be a needy little boy who cries sometimes."

"Deal."

To seal it, Nick kissed the cheek of the woman who had worried about him and had cared for him non-stop for a week. "Now you go ahead and take the night off, Sweetheart…" Smiling, he hit send to call the pizzeria. "I've got things under control."

**Wildfire Country Club  
****6:14 p.m. **

As soon as Greg saw the elaborate stage set up on the club's lawn his emotions spiraled out of control. "Mom…" He grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. "That stage looks much bigger than the stage the club had for the last party."

"Sweetheart…" Bev gave her panicked son's hand a squeeze. "It's the same stage set up every time on the same area of lawn. You want to run through the plan again?"

"Uh…" When he saw Tawny wave at him while chatting with Joyce, Greg's heart rate slowed. "No…I've got it." Calm again, he took a cleansing breath.

Since they were alone, Bev seized the opportunity to fill her son in on a surprise detail. "There is one more little thing I did to make the whole thing extra special."

"Oh God." Greg clutched his stomach. "Please don't tell me you're broadcasting it on TV."

"What? No. Nothing that stressful." She got a good laugh. "It's just a little fun thing at the very end to make things extra special." Leaning in she whispered, "But I wanted to warn you because…"

Standing with Joyce and Robbie, Tawny saw their mouths moving but didn't hear a thing they were saying. Her mind was too busy wandering as she glanced about trying to figure out which path Greg would take her down to quietly pop the question.

"Are you crazy, Mom!" Greg blasted as he gripped his hair. "As if I'm not freaked out enough already! I mean…why not get some giant screens and project the image of Tucker Mifflin pointing a gun at me while you're at it?"

"Think of it like desensitization therapy, Sweetie." She lovingly caressed his flushed cheek. "Don't you think your therapist would like the idea?"

"Uh…**no!** She'd suggest I work on my fear of explosives on a less hectic night!"

"Pyrotechnics, not explosives," Bev cheerily and calmly corrected. "You kiss her at the end of your performance, then some stationary ones, the kind used in rock concerts, pop at the back of the stage and then four are launched to burst in the sky above you, followed by a little finale. Trust me…she'll be blown away."

"Blown…away?" He gaped while entertaining thoughts of snatching her ring-hiding purse, grabbing Tawny and running for the door.

When Scott saw Greg losing control he intervened. "Is there a problem?"

"Your wife is nuts!" Greg snapped as he fought to cling to his sanity. "She thinks the proposal will be much nicer if I pee in my pants at the end!" When Greg saw his father's confused expression he realized it would be a surprise to him as well. "She arranged for pyrotechnics at the back and over the stage!"

"You what?" Dumbfounded, Scott blasted his wife. "He couldn't even open his presents in front of the crackling fireplace last year. Are you insane?"

"Talk about role reversal," Bev remarked. "Now I'm the one pushing him while you're going easy. There's always fireworks at the end of the party," Bev reminded her men.

"Yes, and I planned to enjoy them from **afar**," Greg heatedly explained while his stomach knotted. "Not be next to or under them!"

"Okay…okay. I made a mistake," Bev finally admitted. "I'll speak with the crew and cancel."

"Hey!" Tawny bounded over giddy and grabbed Greg's hand. "Joyce just said there's always fireworks at the end of the party. I love fireworks! So did my dad! He would drive me four counties away if there was going to be some. Can this night possibly get any better!"

Bev burst into a smile. "I had a feeling you liked them."

Greg hung his head.

"Oh!" Realizing her error Tawny backpedaled. "Sorry, Sweetie, I totally forgot about your fear of explosives. I didn't mean to be insensitive. We don't have to be anywhere near them."

Hearing the sincerity in Tawny's voice and knowing she understood him when his mother didn't, Greg felt a wave of confidence wash over him. "Maybe tonight's the night I get over that fear, Princess." Wanting desperately to give Tawny something extra special he now knew she'd love, Greg glanced over at his mother. "Come what may…let the sparks fly."

* * *

Continued in 34 which is already posted...


	34. Chapter 34

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 34**

**September 3, 2005  
****Beaver Street Brewery  
****Flagstaff, Arizona  
****7:05 p.m. **

Setting down his beer glass Jim relaxed in the booth. "Nick raved about this place and the Oatmeal Stout," he told Heather. "It's really good."

"The fondue is wonderful too." Heather speared another carrot, dipped it and handed it over. "A little something for the pensive father."

All day she had been wonderfully supportive and Jim suddenly found himself falling a little more for her than he had originally planned. "Thanks for the carrot…and for driving out here with me…and for offering Ellie a job when she gets out and promising to watch her closely."

"My pleasure." Reaching across the table Heather gave Jim's hand a squeeze. "Relax…I think she looked great for a girl just completing her first week in rehab, and her attitude was positive most of the time."

After chomping down the cheese-covered carrot Jim nodded. "Yeah…I just worry because it's a controlled environment, she can't choose a substance when she gets antsy or agitated. It's a far cry from Vegas where she can buy something on every street corner." He impaled a bread cube and dipped it. "I also think I was thrown because she was shaky and she looked pale."

**Wildfire Country Club  
****7:35 p.m. **

Sitting at their table in front of the stage, Tawny placed her hand on top of her man's and spoke over the song the band was belting out. "Greg…are you feeling okay?" She pointed to his dinner plate. "You only ate a crouton off your salad before…and now you're just picking at your dinner when it's delicious."

Glancing over at her empty plate, Greg offered in a jittery voice, "You can have mine if the babies are hungry."

"I'm not worried about the babies," she lovingly assured him. "I'm worried about you. We're here having dinner under the stars with your friends and family on our special night and you look really out of it."

"Hoj…" Robbie nudged his pal. "Are you nervous about something? Because I know you…you never eat when you're tense."

Joyce lifted her glass of wine and mumbled into it, "He's probably worried Becca will show up here and cause a scene."

"Don't even joke about that," Bev grumped. "It's not going to happen."

"No, it's…I ate some shrimp on the way back from the restroom earlier and I don't feel so hot." Grabbing his napkin Greg dabbed his forehead. "Is it hot in here?"

"We're outside, Sweetie," Tawny promptly reminded him. "Oh no…" Her hands flew to her mouth. "Do you think you have food poisoning!" In a flash she saw her romantic proposal morphing into an emergency trip to the ER. "Robbie! Joyce!" she urged the medical professionals. "Do something! He can't be sick. Not tonight."

On cue, Bev stood up. "I'll get him some hot tea. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Robbie patted Tawny's arm and calmly assured her, "If it is food poisoning, there's nothing we can do but let everything come up soon and if it does…he'll feel better by eleven…eleven-thirty at the latest."

"Oh…okay." Tawny looked at her queasy almost-official fiancé. "Okay…we'll just ride this out here I guess." _If he'll be better by eleven-thirty, it won't ruin the midnight proposal. _

"I'll be fine, Princess." Greg kissed her cheek while he held his gut and moaned.

"One hot tea for my boy with the tummy ache." Bev set it in front of her son who she realized was as good an actor as he was singer. "Drink it all." _So your vocal chords are nice and loose. _

"Thanks, Mom." With a trembling hand Greg lifted the cup and blew on the steamy beverage. _She thinks I'm doing a good job faking nausea, but I really do think I might hurl. The stage keeps getting bigger and I lost count at four hundred people in the audience. _Then he remembered Nick's advice for calming down. _Visualize success. _Closing his eyes he began running through the perfect proposal.

When Tawny saw her man's eyes close she yelled, "No, Greg!"

"What!" He spilled the full cup of tea on his lap.

"Are you passing out!"

Startled, he jumped up, letting the mug fall to the ground. "Damn, that tea was hot!"

Horrified that she caused Greg post-traumatic burn trauma on proposal night Tawny grabbed his hand and yelled, "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, Princesss…I'm fine…really," Greg assured her as he panicked at the sight of his drenched crotch_. I can't go on stage looking like I wet myself! This wasn't part of the fake food poisoning plan so I didn't have to eat, could drink tea, and pretend to disappear to vomit! _"Mom?" He was hoping she had planned ahead and brought a backup suit.

Bev shrieked while gaping at her son's soaked pants. "Uh…oh no! You look like you're going to be sick, Greg!" she exclaimed a little sooner than planned.

Trying not to show her devastation, Tawny squeezed her man's hand. "I'll help you get to the bathroom."

"No, Honey." Greg clutched his gut and feigned a cramp. "Your morning sickness will kick in if you're with me. I'll have my dad go and you stay here. Come what may, I promise I'll be doing much better an hour from now…don't worry, our plans tonight won't be ruined."

"Okay." She forced a smile. "Feel better, Sweetie."

Bev stood up with her husband. "You take him to the restroom, Scott, and I'll get him some more tea." With a smirk on her face she walked away leaving her purse wide open on her chair.

"He'll be fine," Robbie told Tawny while patting her back. "Would you mind if Joyce and I danced while…"

"Go ahead." Lifting her ice water Tawny nodded. "I'll be fine. I could use a few minutes by myself." When they were gone, she sipped from her glass and fought the tears forming. Don't cry…everything will be fine. In need of a tissue she turned to grab her purse but in the process saw Bev's opened and tissues readily available.

When Tawny leaned in closer to retrieve a tissue she saw a black velvet box. _Oh my god! The ring!_ Without thinking about her actions, her fingers wrapped around the container. _No…I couldn't._ She released it and took a tissue instead, turning her attention to the healthy couples enjoying the evening on the temporary dance floor set up on the club's lawn. _I really could use a pick me up because the night is getting more depressing by the minute. Just a quick peek won't hurt. _

Her fingers around the box again, Tawny gave in to her urge. _The box looks kind of old_, she thought while studying it and debating whether or not she could bring herself to crack it open. Finally, curiosity got the best of her and she popped the box. "Oh!" Her hand rushed to her gaping mouth. "It's hideous!" _I can't believe I just said that! _Staring at the odd-shaped dull gold ring with tiny emeralds and diamonds stuck in random places she gulped_. It looks like mangled gold paperclips covered in jewel chips. Why! Oh! Maybe it's his grandmother's ring? Maybe this is how engagement rings looked in Norway years ago? Yeah…that has to be it, because he wouldn't have bought this for me. _

Working overtime to shield her disappointment and convince herself it was perfect, Tawny forced a smile. _Aww…okay, that's sweet…it's a Hojem family heirloom… yeah…it's growing on me. _Staring at the garish ring she'd be wearing for the rest of her life Tawny inhaled sharply. _It's already growing on me…yeah_…_I almost like it…it has meaning because it's not something just anyone can go buy in a store at the mall…and we really need the money so, I'm glad he didn't have to spend a lot on a ring. _Another deep breath and she worked harder to force her mind beyond its lifelong fantasy of a traditional engagement ring. _It's vintage…it's special because it's unique…_ Sighing, she closed the box and continued brainwashing herself. _Considering the circumstances, I have some nerve being picky…and who cares about a ring anyway, an engagement ring anyway, it's just a silly piece of jewelry… _Her smile finally returned. _The real gem I get to keep is the man giving it to me._

Meanwhile in the restroom, Greg was removing his pants so his father could dry them under the hand dryer. "Here you go."

"The show must go on, Son!" Chuckling, Scott turned on the sink to rinse the stain off his son's pants.

"Tea!" Bev shouted from outside the door.

"Come in, there's no one else in here!" When she entered, Greg grabbed the fresh mug of tea. "Do you think Tawny will really look at the fake ring?"

"Robbie just called from the dance floor…" Bev was happy to report. "He saw her gasp and cover her mouth." Recalling the ugly thing she asked, "Where the hell did you find that hideous ring?"

"A tacky thrift store off Fremont. It was thirty bucks." Proudly Greg explained, "Now she'll be ten times as thrilled when she sees the real deal."

"You really are a genius, Son." Scott moved on to drying the pants. "You are presenting the real ring to her when she's sitting down, right?"

"Definitely." After sipping his tea Greg grabbed his stomach, "You know…I really think I might really puke from stage fright."

Fanning his son's pants under the dryer Scott said, "You performed in front of much bigger crowds than this when you were little."

"Yeah, Dad…" Greg chuckled ever so slightly. "…but you get a lot more leeway when you're a five year old with huge ears wearing a bowtie and belting out Somewhere Over the Rainbow acappella."

Bev's tears came fast and furious. "This is it…my baby is getting engaged tonight." She covered her mouth with a trembling hand. "And you'll be married in a matter of weeks."

Scott had been waiting for his wife to lose it all night. "Please don't make him more emotional than he already is, Honey."

"I know…I know." She quivered a smile while stroking Greg's cheek. "I'm just really grateful we're all still here and didn't miss out on this special time."

"Me too, Mom." Greg embraced her and whispered in her ear. "Thank you for making it possible."

"Oh, give him some credit, Bev," Scott joked. "I always knew he'd pull it together before you and I keeled. Sometimes I thought I'd be ninety and it would be a man, but I knew he'd settle down."

The joke came just as mother and son were on the edge of losing it and they were both grateful for the reprieve.

"Funny, Dad." Greg turned his back to wipe his eyes.

"Dry pants!" Scott approached grinning. "Now Tawny won't think you pissed yourself from having cold feet." Grabbing his wife's hand he kissed it. "I'm going to insist your mother and I leave and let you pull yourself together. Oh! Almost forgot…you'll need this." Laughing at the almost disaster he reached into his suit jacket and produced the pale blue Tiffany's box. "I'll be rooting for you in the audience."

"Thanks, Dad." He took the ring and cracked the box, knowing the next time he opened it, he'd be pulling it out to slip on Tawny's hand.

"It's still there. Don't you trust me?" Scott teased as he extended his hand. "I know you'll do great…" His voice dropped an octave as enjoyed the happiness in Greg's eyes. "I'm not just talking about the proposal either."

"Thanks for believing in me." Bypassing his father's hand, Greg threw his arms around him for a bear hug. "I'll do my best to make you proud."

"Thanks for letting me be a part of the big plan tonight instead of the odd man out." Overwhelmed by the moment, Scott's emotions quickly surfaced. "I'm really glad we had a chance to get closer these past few days."

"Scott!" Bev rushed into the stall to grab toilet paper. "You just said you didn't want **me** to get emotional and now you're blubbering." She blew her nose and wiped her eyes. "Ugh…group hug…" Sniffling, she walked over and joined the embrace. "You two are killing me here."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****7:50 p.m. **

"I'm dying over here!" Nick lamented from his position on the couch next to Ryan. "Ten minutes 'til kickoff."

"It's going to take longer than that to finish our game," Hodges announced as he picked up the die.

Nick stared at his opponent as if he were a Martian. "Are you kidding? I'm not playing Trivial Pursuit with you while the Aggies are engaged in a meaningful pursuit of glory."

"Oh…right." Hodges tossed the die and moved two. "I forgot that jocks can't multi-task."

Ryan watched, hoping his uncle would finally pound the snarky idiot.

"Gee…I'm not sure I can multi-task," Nick replied in a ponderous tone as he grabbed a handful of macadamia nuts from a bowl Carrie had just set on the coffee table. Holding up the fistful of food he said, "How about we see if I can chew these nuts **and** kick your obnoxious ass out of my home at the same time? Sound good?"

"Yeah!" Ryan cheered. "It's about time. He's **really** annoying. Kick his butt, Uncle Nick!"

Upon hearing her nephew Carrie left the dining room table where she was playing Boggle with Sara, McKenna and Celeste. "Hold up! I'm afraid there won't be any butt kicking tonight!"

"Sweetheart…" Nick flashed his best smile and winked. "I thought you said you were taking the night off from handling things?"

"Oh." Her wine buzz accelerated her swoon. "Right…I did." After snatching an amorous kiss she winked and walked away chuckling.

"Did she just give you permission to kick my butt?" Hodges nervously asked while estimating the distance to the front door.

"No, she gave me permission to think about kicking your butt without considering her opinion," he joked.

Meanwhile, in an effort to avoid football and Hodges, Sean was busy in the kitchen using the ALS while Grissom searched the cabinets.

"Nothing so far," Sean remarked as he painstakingly searched the floor. "Dr. Grissom…I'm not sure I'll find anything, because people don't usually sweat in the kitchen."

"Oh, you'd be surprised at how many people do, Sean," Grissom replied from the counter where he was preparing for a science experiment using household products he had collected.

"Now that I think about it, I have seen my mom sweat when she's been cooking up a storm in the summer, but this is Aunt Carrie's kitchen…I doubt she sweats when she stuffs frozen food in the microwave."

Just then Carrie walked through the kitchen door and saw what appeared to be a chemistry experiment going on at her sink. "Gil…what are you doing?" When she saw a rapidly bubbling liquid Carrie backed away. "What is that?"

"It will be a bomb if I add one key ingredient," Grissom calmly replied. "But I won't."

"Sweat!" Sean blared as he pointed to the tile directly in front of the fridge. "Can I search your bedroom next, Aunt Carrie?"

Wishing she could evaporate, Carrie droned, "Feel free to add that explosive ingredient to the mix any time now."

**Wildfire Country Club  
****8:01 p.m. **

After splashing cold water on his face and visualizing a perfect proposal three times, Greg left the men's room with freshly dried pants and renewed confidence.

"Hoj!" Becca breathlessly cried out as she rushed towards him. "Finally! I've been looking all over for you. Dale told me he saw you leave your table a while ago."

Other than Tucker Mifflin, he couldn't imagine anyone he'd want to see less right before taking the stage. "What the hell are you doing here!" Greg barked before glancing at his watch. "I was crystal clear that if you stepped foot…"

"I know! And I didn't plan to, but…" Trying to catch her breath she gulped for air. "…when I was home earlier, Shanna stopped by and told me what happened at the pool today. It's okay…I figured it out, Hoj," she soothed him in a loving tone.

"Figured **what **out!" He stuffed his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't be tempted to strangle her.

"That you really don't want to marry Tawny and raise a child with her. That you just feel guilty, because you said you wanted to, but you only said you did because of her infertility problems. You never expected her to get pregnant." Placing her palm on his cheek she sighed, "It's okay. I can fix everything."

Swatting her hand away Greg spat, "No, you **can't**, because there isn't a problem! The only **problem** in my life right now is **you** and I intend to..."

"It's me, Hoj! We had endless conversations about not wanting kids. You can stop fronting. Look!" Reaching into her purse she pulled out a check paper-clipped to a contract. "I have more money than I know what to do with since the divorce. I'll buy her off for you. She'll have plenty of money to raise her baby and you won't have to be a part of their life."

"Unbelievable." Her delusion was boundless and he knew she wouldn't hear a thing he said.

Grinning at his vexation, Becca sweetly said, "Don't feel guilty. It's for the best, because let's face it, Hoj…like you said yourself a hundred times…you'd make a lousy dad. And I have to agree with you because you can barely handle your own life sometimes, no less a child's. The kid will do just fine without you." Taking out a pen she casually said, "How much do you think she'll demand?"

Standing there on the back patio of the club staring at the passive-aggressive, mentally-deranged and manipulative bitch in front of him, Greg heard Nick's words echo in his head. _Think of someone who told you that you weren't good enough. Picture that person out there watching you and say to yourself, 'I'm going to perform better than I ever have in my life just to prove to the jerk they don't know what they're talking about. Take the stage with **something to prove**. Don't go up there content with just doing okay…go up there determined to **kick ass.**_

"Hoj?"

An edgy smile bloomed on Greg's face. "I'm really glad you're here, Becca." After a Judas kiss to her cheek he whispered, "Just give me about twenty minutes to stage a few things with Tawny and then I'll bring her over and together we'll make final arrangements with you. How's that?"

"Great!" Becca oozed with delight. "Where do you want me to wait?"

Turning up the wattage on his smile Greg instructed, "I want you to wait wherever you have a perfect view of the stage, because my mom's students are about to perform and I don't want you to miss a second…yeah…because it's gonna rock your world." With that he turned his back on her and recalled more of Nick's words, _I'd think about something he did to piss me off, a name he called me, or some arrogant shit he talked._ _I'd let it all build inside me like a giant boiling vat of oil and then when I took the field, I used it as fuel to light myself on fire and explode. _After about ten feet, he glanced over his shoulder and waved at the witch. "Thanks, Becks!"

"No problem, Hoj!" she giddly replied while giving a thumbs up.

Out of the corner of his eye Greg saw Tawny sitting restlessly at the table with his parents, Robbie and Joyce. _Hang in there, Princess, _he willed as he snuck to the rear of the stage to rendezvous with his mother's students.

The current country club President, Nathan Daniels, a long-time friend of the Sanders family, took to the microphone. "Good Evening, everyone. Every year, Bev Sanders has treated us to a performance from her most talented students while the band takes a dinner break, and this year she's assured me that it will be a real showstopper…"

Anxious over Greg's condition, Tawny tuned out the man on stage and whispered in Bev's ear, "I know you really want me to see your students, but I'm worried about Greg. I hope you don't mind…but I'm going to sneak away and…"

"Don't move," Bev curtly ordered while her friend closed his remarks and the stage lights faded to black. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to miss this."

Upset that her future mother-in-law was being so self-centered Tawny pushed back, "What if the vomiting is a leftover effect from the GHB? What if he passes out in there? He could hit his head on a sink!" She stood, ready to disobey orders. "Sorry, Bev, but I have to…" When Scott grabbed her hand Tawny startled.

"Honey…" Scott winked at the distraught girl who so obviously loved his son. "Trust me…you need to stay right where you are."

"Why are…" Before she could finish her sentence, Tawny heard Greg's voice ring out acappella from the darkness in front of her.

"My gift is my song…"

Nothing made sense as Tawny stood frozen watching the stage lights slowly rise and when they did, her hands rushed to her mouth. There was Greg, clutching a microphone on a stand and smiling at her. A second later when he took a breath and sang directly to her, she gasped.

"…and this one's for Tawny."

"Now you know why I was so insistent." Bev patted the empty chair next to her. "Have a seat, Sweetie. It's Showtime!"

Stunned from the surprise Tawny did as asked while in her mind she recalled Greg saying time and time again…_I have this plan_. "This is the plan," she whispered while the first chords of Come What May wafted through the air. "I can't believe...it's the **perfect **plan."

While the pianist and small orchestra filled the air with their notes, Greg's grip on the microphone strengthened. Tawny was already crying…so was his mother and it overwhelmed him. To distract himself from them, he shifted to the crowd…they were all staring…hundreds of eyes boring down on him and suddenly he froze.

A skilled music and drama teacher, Bev knew the signs. "Oh no…he's choking," she whispered into her hands which were firmly planted over her mouth.

While inhaling a jagged breath, Greg remembered another piece of Nick's advice, _Pretend you have a giant eraser and make them all disappear until it's just you and Tawny. _With his mental eraser, he made section after section of the audience fade until only Tawny sat before him and from the look on her face, he knew she loved him more than ever. 'I love you', he silently mouthed while waiting for his note, and when his future wife blew him a kiss, he returned it with the first line of their song.

In his wife's ear Scott whispered, "He sounds very nervous."

"He'll relax when he gets to the chorus." Bev glanced over and saw Tawny swooning as she clutched her heart and tears streamed down her cheeks. "And if he doesn't…it won't matter one bit."

After a deep breath, Greg released the microphone from its stand and let his emotions power his voice.

"Yes!" Tawny cried out as she exploded with happiness.

Slipping her arm around her future daughter-in-law Bev sniffled, "Make him wait until he asks, Dear."

Hearing Tawny's answer and seeing her teary eyes overflowing with joy, Greg delved into the chorus with confidence to spare.

When the three female backup singers dressed in the pink flowing dresses Bev had purchased for them took over, Greg relaxed his vice grip on the microphone and slowly strolled toward Tawny as planned.

Like a giddy teenage girl at her first boy band concert Tawny shrieked, "He's coming over here!"

"I wonder why?" Scott joked while crossing his fingers that Greg didn't trip down the stairs.

"Stay in your chair," Bev coached Tawny who she thought was going to rush and tackle Greg any second. "You don't want to throw off his plan."

"Right." Tawny gripped the edges of her seat. "Staying!"

After poking her husband in the ribs Joyce whispered, "Told you so." She pointed to the left. "Becca showed up. Hey…what's that noise?" She answered her own question with a perfect degree of sarcasm. "I do believe those are the sounds of Becca's hopes and dreams crashing down around her." A smirk popped up on her face. "I feel for her…I really do."

Standing on the lawn next to her shocked friend, Shanna tormented, "Wow, Becca, you were right…Hoj is **really good** at fronting, because you say he doesn't want Tawny, but to me he seems to be head over heels insanely in love with her."

The reality check successful, Becca remarked in a broken whisper. "He's really going to propose."

When Greg was only a few feet away he resumed singing and Tawny felt her heart beat a little faster. 'I love this' she mouthed while getting carried away again by the velvet lilt of his voice.

"And there's no mountain too high, no river too wide. Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side." Reaching out, Greg took Tawny's trembling hand in his and clutched it tightly while finishing the verse.

Tears of joy glistening on her face, Tawny cupped Greg's cheek. "I wasn't expecting this," she squeaked.

With the orchestra providing perfect background music, Greg turned off the mic and handed it to his mother. Next, he reached into his pocket for something else Tawny wasn't expecting.

The sight of the trademark Tiffany-blue box in Greg's hand sent Tawny reeling. "Oh! Is that for…I can't believe…"

"Believe it, Princess." Releasing her hand for a moment, Greg cracked open the box, and as if he planned it, the edge of a spotlight caught the three diamonds and they brilliantly glinted before Tawny's eyes.

"That's my ring!" Tawny shrieked as if she'd won the lottery. "It's gorgeous!"

"Were you expecting something different?" Greg replied in an inexplicably calm voice as his heart hammered in his chest. Then, with the ring box in his left hand and Tawny's shaky hand in his right, he sucked in a steadying breath.

Busting at the seams with anticipation, Tawny bit her tongue to not scream the answer before the question. "Go for it, Sweetie."

Tears welling in his eyes Greg squeezed Tawny's hand a little tighter. "The night I met you, I was enchanted by your beauty…the next day I was smitten with your personality…but one morning, weeks later, you touched my heart and every day since then, I've fallen for you a little more. I never want to lose you…I know for a fact that nothing will make me happier than spending the rest of my life with you." His tears spilled in time with hers. "So…Tawny Ann Cooper…will you marry me?"

"Yes!" she yelled loud enough for the last row of tables to hear.

As the crowd of partygoers, many who had known him since he was a quirky little boy, erupted in thunderous applause, Greg plucked the platinum and diamond ring from the box. "You're really shaking," he softly commented while trying to get the ring on her trembling hand.

"You are too." She gushed with excitement as the cool metal slipped over her heated skin. "It's the perfect fit." The sight of the stunning ring on her finger seemed too much like a dream to fathom it as reality.

"Come on." Standing up Greg took the microphone his mother was extending and tugged Tawny to her feet. "You're in the finale."

In that moment, wearing Greg's ring and knowing for certain she'd be his wife, Tawny would have done anything he said. "Okay!"

Thrilled for his buddy, Robbie watched Greg lead Tawny on stage and joked to his tablemates, "Wow…was I the only one on the edge of his seat worried she wasn't going to say yes?"

Needing to release some tension, Scott jumped at the joke. "No, I thought for sure she was going to tell him to go to hell."

In between the two jokesters Bev beamed with pride. "I told you he'd relax by the first chorus. That was beautiful…just beautiful."

Meanwhile, standing in the shadows, Becca wiped her tears of envy and regret. While she wanted to turn away, her eyes stayed glued on the blissful couple standing in the spotlight. Her blue eyes turning a deep shade of green, she watched Greg, who was holding Tawny's newly jeweled hand. "He looks so happy."

Waiting for the orchestra to hit his note Greg spent the time wildly grinning at his fiancée and when his note finally arrived, he sang twice as strong as before.

Although hundreds of people were watching, Tawny only felt Greg's loving eyes on her as his beautiful voice touched her heart.

Building to the crescendo Greg dug a little deeper and belted out the final words of the song,

"Wow…" was all Tawny managed after the powerful ending.

"Not done yet." Careful to turn off the microphone first in case he screamed like a little girl from the sound of explosives detonating around him, Greg scooped Tawny in his arms and bestowed a romantic movie-worthy kiss.

On the sidelines Becca gripped her throbbing head. "Ugh…all that's missing is fireworks going off while they…" The first of several explosive bursts cut off her words. "Dammit!"

Clinging to Tawny as he feared for his life, Greg watched his fiancée's eyes light up as the sky illuminated.

"Your mom did this, didn't she?" Tawny sighed while loving every second of the outlandish Hollywood ending.

Wincing from the sound of whizzing explosives, the sight of fiery ash, and the smell of smoke, Greg squeaked, "Yep…she's taking the tough love thing very seriously. Later she's going to flick lit matches at my back."

"Don't worry, Sweetie…I've got you," Tawny soothed as her gaze turned from the sky to Greg's wide eyes.

"Yes, you do…forever." Losing himself in Tawny's gaze, Greg's post traumatic stress disorder faded. "So…fiancée…" He tenderly kissed the ring on her hand. "How was it? Was it better than a ring stuffed in a muffin given to you in my parents' kitchen?"

"Oh, yeah," she giggled. "Definitely. And **way** past country potatoes." Moving in to kiss him Tawny grazed her final assessment over Greg's lips, "It was the **perfect **proposal."

After the last of the fireworks exploded in the sky, Greg broke the amorous kiss and excitedly informed his already thrilled fiancée, "Guess what, Princess?"

"What?" she dreamily replied.

Taking his fiancée's hand Greg led her off stage. "I still have a few more surprises in store for you tonight."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

FYI - to follow the rules,the version was altered to remove Greg's song dialogue which was pieced throughout the last scene.

Tawny enjoyed the proposal and I hope you got some enjoyment out of it too. I tried to include enough humor to keep the readers who have a hard time with fluffy romance not get a cavity. While this type of public proposal might make some people die of embarrassment (Sara LOL), I hope it was clear in the story that it was perfect for Tawny. Aside from the 'only happens in the movies' quality that a movie-obsessed girl like Tawny would adore, it validated that she's special and worthy and that Greg wanted the 'whole world' to know how happy he was to ask her to marry him.

I hope you got some enjoyment out of the other scenes…a little buddy bonding at the beginning; Gil and Sara trying out their parental roles; Greg and his parents working together to trick Tawny; Carrie taking a little more 'all in good fun' abuse from her friends; and Brass and Heather sharing a quiet moment at my favorite Flagstaff eatery LOL

**NextChapter:** The rest of the night is full of excitement. The future Mr. and Mrs. Sanders share their news with friends back in Vegas and then it's time for Tawny to get a few more 'movie-worthy' moments. The Aggies are on the field and Nick is trying to cope with a lot of interference in his viewing pleasure as the crowd as his apartment gets a little bigger. **Posting:** Sunday (it's my son's b-day party this weekend so I need an extra day and I wrote 2 chapters at once this time ).

**Thanks to:**El Gringo Loco and Rojaji for your reviews! And KJT for working on the story when bogged down by a nasty cold!

**And thanks to everyone for reading, **

**Maggs**


	35. Chapter 35

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 35**

**September 3, 2005  
****Wildfire Country Club  
8****:42 p.m. **

As soon as Greg and Tawny had walked off stage to rejoin their family and friends, they were swarmed by well wishers. "Now I know what it feels like to be a celebrity," Tawny giggled as she left the embrace of the last stranger waiting to offer congratulations.

"Greg!" Chas Gracin called out upon approach. "Hello, Bev…Scott…and congratulations to the beautiful bride-to-be." He flashed a smile as he pulled out a business card. "Fantastic performance, Sanders…and I know talent when I see it. I cast you in that Puppy Chow commercial as a kid, remember?"

"You were in a Puppy Chow commercial!" Tawny exclaimed upon hearing the sweet tidbit about her man. "That's so cute!"

Shaking his head at his ecstatic mother Greg droned, "My mommy made me do it. I played the role of the cute dorky kid with big ears who was overflowing dog dishes with food. As I recall, those damn beagle puppies totally upstaged me. I hated that."

Scott added to the memory. "I recall you bawling your eyes out all the way home because you couldn't keep one."

Chas patted Greg on the back. "Perfect, you already sound like a star…overly-emotional, self-centered and hates working with animals." He extended his card. "Let's talk representation. Is your SAG membership still active?"

Staring at the card for Gracin's agency, Greg told the man with a smarmy reputation, "Thanks, I really appreciate the offer but…I already have more than enough drama in my life, and the only roles I want to star in are husband, father and Criminalist."

Persistence being one of Chas's biggest talents, along with manipulation, he turned to the giddy fiancée. "Maybe you can help me change his mind? The two of you could be living in LA and hitting the party scene. Have you done any acting work? I'm pretty sure I could get you something tomorrow if you don't mind showing some skin or…"

"Sorry…" Tawny took the card and then promptly tucked it in the man's jacket. "Greg and I aren't hip party people and I don't take my clothes off for money."

Scott stepped forward and escorted Chas away to give the kids a break. "How's your golf game these days?"

Grabbing Tawny's hand Greg laughed, "As if I'm not mental enough already…the last thing I need is the pressure of fame."

"Speaking of pressure." Tawny pointed. "Looks like Becca didn't follow orders."

When Bev heard the witch's name her blood pressure skyrocketed. "Thank god she showed up **after**…"

"She didn't." Greg cut her off and explained, "Becca cornered me right before I went on stage. Believe or not, she came here to offer Tawny money to leave me and raise the babies without me, citing that it was for the best since I'd suck at being a dad."

"What!" Bev and Tawny simultaneously shrilled.

"I'll handle…" Greg realized he wouldn't have a chance dealing with her alone when both women took off racing to get to Becca first. A second later he charged after them.

"Hoj? What the…" Robbie said as he and Joyce were returning with champagne and saw Bev and Tawny walking as fast as their heels would allow. "Ah…" He pointed to Becca. "Now here's an interesting twist to the usual catfight," Robbie joked with his wife. "The fiancée and the mommy both fight the meddlesome bitch. I bet Bev is an excellent hair-puller."

Having had more experience rushing from point A to point B in high heels, Tawny reached Becca first. "So, you were going to try and buy me off, huh?" When she was certain she had the witch's attention Tawny pointed to her fuchsia dress. "Nordstrom…two hundred dollars." Then she pointed to her borrowed shoes from Carrie. "Manolo Blahnik…six hundred dollars." And when she saw Greg approaching, she yanked him by the arm, almost knocking him off his feet. "Greg Sanders…**priceless**! So give it up already you pathetic, manipulative wench! The spell's been broken. He doesn't want you. He wouldn't want you if I disappeared tomorrow and you were the last woman on Earth. **Comprehending!**"

When Becca turned to look at him, Greg nodded. "Agreeing."

Bev couldn't resist throwing her two cents in. "Seconding."

"Mom…Tawny…can you give me a second here?" Greg quietly asked and when they reluctantly departed he looked over at Becca.

"You set me up," she snipped. "You told me to watch the stage and…"

"You set yourself up, Becca." Stepping closer he said, "When I told you to stay away from the club it was for your own good. I didn't want you to see me propose to Tawny in the state you were in, but you couldn't listen. You **never** listen to me. Do you remember what I said would happen if you didn't honor my request?" Deciding he didn't want to waste another second of his special night on Becca, Greg backed away. "Don't expect a wedding invite." After a quick nod he raised his right hand and in a voice devoid of emotion said, "Good luck pulling yourself together, Becca."

"I'm already on it," she snapped back. "This was a case of temporary insanity." Her laughter came quickly. "Like the time I decided to try things with that chick for the softball team. Hello? What was I thinking? You were right, Hoj…you and me, we never would have worked out because my mother was actually right about something for a change…" Her eyes narrowed as she delivered the message. "…you're not good enough for me. The divorce left me vulnerable and I thought you were what I needed, but I would have woken up and realized I made a huge mistake."

"In pre-Tawny life that kind of talk would have cut me deep, but now…it's laughable." Breaking into a smile Greg waved. "Bye! And just so there's no confusion, I mean that in the 'forever' context." Without feeling a twinge of regret, he walked away to rejoin his group.

"Whatever, Hoj! Bye!" Slipping into the shadows Becca watched Greg rejoin his parents and take Tawny's hand. Her eyes studied their joyous smiles and the way they clung to one another. Then, after enduring several minutes of their happiness, she turned and headed for the parking lot determined to rebuild her life and show them and everyone at the club gaping at her as if she were a pathetic spinster, that she was worthy of so much more.

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****9:01 p.m. **

Sitting on the patio listening to Sara talk about her pregnancy with Carrie, Celeste felt the fissures in her heart turn to cracks. She knew they weren't doing it on purpose, Sara had no idea it was a sensitive issue and Carrie had downed enough wine to forget it was. They were both excited and she didn't think it fair to ruin their joy because of her misery so she kept smiling and nodding.

"What about names? Carrie prodded as she sipped from her latest glass of wine. "When it's our time, Nicky and I have agreed on Garrett or Megan."

"Garrett Stokes…sounds very romance novel cowboy," Sara teased before downing the rest of her faux-beer.

"Yeah…I know." Enjoying her night off from stress, Carrie kicked off her shoes and sighed, "Like father like son…I'm sure he'll be a heartbreaker until he finds the right cowgirl, and she'll be one lucky girl if Garrett is anything like his daddy…oh yeah…reeeeeally lucky."

Sara glanced over at Celeste and joked, "Normally she's an uptight lawyer-type, but if you get a little booze in her she overshares and does some pretty outrageous things."

"Can we drop the poolhouse incident already!" Carrie blurted before laughing hysterically. "Since your husband put my nephew on a 'sweat hunt' in my apartment, I'd say we're even."

"Our baby names are Erin or Owen," Sara finally answered the question. Glancing through the window she saw Gil at the dining room table teaching Sean from one of Nick's old Chemistry texts and cracked a smile. "Like father like son…I'm sure Owen Grissom will be a big time science geek and I couldn't be happier about that."

"I'm baaaaaaack!" McKenna greeted as she arrived on the patio displaying one of the Barbies she brought along. "See…doesn't this one look like Tawny?" Giggling she lifted the buxom Barbie wearing a tiny pink swimsuit to show her audience. "I'm gonna put on her wedding dress next."

The mention of Tawny made Carrie glance at her watch again. "The suspense is killing me! I wish they'd call already."

Inside the apartment, Gil was jotting down a complex chemical equation for Sean while Nick was explaining the intricacies of the latest Aggie play.

Waiting for the next commercial break to ask the next Trivial Pursuit question, Hodges sat like the odd man out. That's when he saw Celeste staring at him through the glass window. Already in the doghouse, he decided to impress her by making an effort to connect with the children in the room…but he had no idea how.

Clutching his football Ryan asked, "Would a trap play have worked there, Uncle Nick?"

"What's a trap play!" Hodges inquired very excitedly while having no interest in the answer.

Staring at the replay on his new fifty-inch plasma, Nick casually replied, "A trap play is when you have a double team where the ball will go, so the Running Back…that was my position…has a hole to run through while the double team blocks, and yeah, Ryan…it would have worked if the running back had gone inside instead of outside."

Ready to stupefy his annoying houseguest a little more, Nick grabbed the notebook Ryan had brought along in his backpack with his team's football playbook. On an empty page he feverishly jotted X's, O's and arrows while his nephew worshipped him. "You can have an inside or an outside trap…if defensive player A lines up in the A gap, then the Pulling Guard will trap that player. But if the Linebacker stunts between the Nose and the Tackle, then the Pulling Guard will trap the Linebacker. Now if a Defensive Tackle lines up in the B gap, and the Outside Linebacker is in the C gap, then the Pulling Guard will trap the Linebacker. In any case, the Running Back…me…would have intuit the block on the Linebacker in a split second and choose an inside or outside path. Once you have the ball, you can get a hell of a lot of yardage if you can get into the secondary and run like the wind." Then he winked at the boy. "And if you can manage a TD, you can get a hell of a lot of free beer and female affection post-game." Nodding at Ryan while he was snarking at Hodges Nick said, "Yeah…lots of quick thinking required on the field. All that practice is what makes me better at my job today."

Desperately wanting to contribute to the conversation, Hodges commented on the only part he could follow. "So that's why guys play football…for the post game booze and women. Mystery solved."

Having heard the exchange, Gil dropped his pencil and turned in the direction of the conversation. "I'm sure Nick could have had plenty of beer and women without playing football, Hodges. If you ask me, guys play football for the one of the reasons I do my job…to be a part of a team working to beat the bad guys on the other side, and getting a rush from moments of personal glory and team victories." When he saw Ryan and Sean exchange curious glances, Gil also saw an opportunity to help the brothers. Narrowing down to a simplistic comparison he said, "Football is played **on** the field, we do our work **in **the field. If you think about it, there really are a lot of similarities between being a football player and a Criminalist, one of the most obvious being they're both tough jobs and should be respected." Smiling, Gil added, "In any case, Nick's work **on** the field in the past and **in** the field today is nothing to joke about. He's made ample contributions in both venues."

"Thanks, Gris." Nick sat a little taller as he realized his mentor had more respect for him than he thought. It felt especially good since they had been on shaky ground recently over the Greg and Tucker Mifflin trauma. "So, nephews…don't be dissin' each other because you heard what Gris said…football and science are both to be respected." Then he tossed a nod at Grissom. "I think you're going to be better at the father thing than you think, Papa Gris."

"Phone!" Carrie shrieked as she rushed into the living room from the patio and when she saw Tawny's name on the caller-ID she yelled, "Quiet, everyone! Nicky! Mute the TV!" After a steadying breath she answered calmly just in case things had gone badly in California. "Hello…"

"Who needs a Maid of Honor! **Me! **What do you say, girlfriend!"

"Yes!"

Tawny replied in a scream, "That's exactly how I answered when Greg pulled off the **perfect **proposal!"

Having the confirmation she needed, Carrie jumped up and down covering the receiver. "They're engaged! And it was **perfect**!"

Nick raised his faux-beer. "I think I speak for everyone when I say…**A-freakin'-men**!"

Sara, Celeste and McKenna all gathered around Carrie while the guys slowly joined them.

Carrie returned back to listening. "Okay…she's right here." She foisted the phone at Sara. "She needs to ask you something."

"Congrats, Tawny, it's…"

"Sara, will you be my bridesmaid! I figure since Gil is walking me down the aisle, he can just join you up on the altar and…"

"Me…in front of all those people…in a dress and heels…uh…." Then she saw Carrie glaring at her. "Yes!" Needing a moment to swallow the nervousness she handed the phone back. "I know…I know…I have to do it at your wedding too, don't yell at me."

"I'm back, Tawny," Carrie announced while shaking her head at Sara. "What! Really! I'm so excited! Thanks!" Upon hanging up, she frantically said, "Greg's mom hired some high-tech crew to video the whole thing. It's already downloaded onto a laptop and they're sending it to my email address so we can watch!"

"Hey, Carr…" Nick hurried over to the boxes of equipment that she bought along with the TV for their eventual home theater. "I can rig it so you can play the download from your laptop on the plasma so we all have front row seats. Oh…" He realized he'd have to interrupt the game, but then doing some of that quick thinking he was just talking about, he remembered he could bring in the portable TV and keep an eye on the game and Greg's performance. "Gris…how about calling Cath and Warrick and seeing if they want to pop over for what I'm sure will be worth the drive?"

"I'm on it." Gil already had his cell to his ear.

"One important detail left to settle…" Sara rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Do we have popcorn for the show?"

"No, but there's a convenience store down the block," Carrie replied while grabbing her wallet to walk to the store. "We'll get some champagne too."

**Wildfire Country Club  
****9:27 p.m. **

Enjoying every moment of the happy occasion, Scott stood at the table and raised his champagne flute. "I'd like to make a toast before the newly engaged couple leave for a more private celebration."

Tawny, Greg, Bev, Robbie, and Joyce quieted their dessert conversation and focused on Scott.

"I often wondered if my son would settle down one day and start a family of his own." Laughing sweetly he placed a hand on Greg's shoulder. "Many times I'd found it impossible to imagine, but sometimes I did envision you with a nice girl…but the girl in my dreams pales in comparison to Tawny."

Seeing Tawny's eyes welling up again, Greg took her hand under the table and gave it a squeeze as his father continued paying tribute to her.

"Special doesn't begin to describe her." Scott glanced down at his future daughter-in-law and smiled brightly. "When I was concerned that things were moving too fast between her and Greg, my son said…you don't understand how easy it is to love her...and I didn't." Moving his hand to Tawny's shoulder he softly said, "Until I spent these past few days with you, Tawny. In a very short time I've come to love you like a daughter and I'm thrilled that you're a part of my family now. Like Greg, I can't imagine ever going back to a time when you weren't a part of our lives." His eyes welling from watching Tawny's tears slip, Scott lifted his glass. "To Tawny Ann Cooper…a spectacular young lady, the future Mrs. Greg Sanders, and the mother of my grandbabies." Clinking his glass to hers Scott said, "They broke the mold when they made you, Sweetheart."

"To Tawny!" the tablemates all cheered in unison.

"Thank you," Tawny squeaked while dabbing her eyes with a cloth napkin and chuckled, "I really feel like Dorothy Gale from Kansas now, because I'm wearing borrowed shoes while on an incredible journey, and …"

"You defeated the Wicked Witch of the West?" Joyce blurted before holding up her hand. "Sorry…sorry…totally catty…**totally** **true**…but totally catty." She was relieved when everyone laughed.

Glancing at his watch, Greg stood. "But if you click those borrowed heels you're wearing three times, Miss Kansas…you won't be going home tonight, because I've got something else in mind."

"Tell me!"

"Tell us!" Bev demanded. "I hate being out of the loop."

"Okay." Having already impressed his friends and family once that night, Greg opted for a public announcement. "You know that Tawny loves movies. Moulin Rouge was the first movie we ever watched together and it's very special because while we were watching the movie and the characters were singing Come What May, unbeknownst to us, our fate was being sealed."

Robbie raised his hand and feigned cluelessness. "I'm not following. How was your fate being sealed during the movie, Hoj?"

"Dr. Schwartz…must I give you a Biology lesson?" Greg picked up a napkin and tossed it at his buddy. "What everyone doesn't know is, there is movie responsible for us meeting in the first place. Tawny watched a part of it with my boss, Grissom and my co-worker Catherine, in a booth at The Cheesecake Factory when she was their waitress."

"Pretty Woman!" Tawny shouted like a game show contestant while recalling the moment as if it were yesterday.

"Ding!" Greg pulled Tawny's ring-hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over it. "If she hadn't seen my boss watching Pretty Woman on a portable DVD player and struck up a conversation with him, my boss never would have thought to introduce me to her when we ran into her a couple of months later. So, in honor of the significance of **that** movie…and because I know you'll love this, Tawny..." Greg pulled a hotel brochure out of his jacket pocket. "In a few moments we'll be taking a limo to the Regent Beverly Wilshire to spend the night."

"The Pretty Woman hotel!" Tawny shouted. "Oh my god! Really!"

"Really." He helped her to her feet. "And tomorrow morning, I'm taking you shopping." He broke out laughing as he mimicked the movie dialogue. "Rodeo Drive, Baby. And I'll make sure the salesgirls suck up to you."

Placing her hand over her heart Tawny fell a little more in love.

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****9:41 p.m. **

Walking back to the apartment Sara toted the grocery bags while an intoxicated Carrie clutched her arm and got emotional. "I'm so happy for Tawny and Greg…and I'm so happy Nicky's home and he's going to be okay…and I'm so happy that you're having a baby bug."

"I'm so happy that you're happy, girlfriend because you had a really crappy week." Sara tried not to laugh at her pal's silly state.

"I'm so happy to be out of that hospital and away from Nurse Nasty…ugh."

"Who's Nurse Nasty?"

Rolling her eyes Carrie slurred, "Some bimbo who thought she found true love with Nick because they both liked football, beef and sex. They spent seven quality hours together and she thought he should have cared enough to get allergy shots so he could live with her and her chinchilla."

"Nick's allergic to chinchillas?"

"No, he's not allergic to chinchillas," Carrie groaned. "It was a relationship-phobe lie. You know…" she mocked Nick's voice. "'I'm sorry, Sweetheart but it's not going to work out because…I'm allergic to your chinchilla; or I work nights and you work days; or your dreams to be a porn star one day really don't mesh with my plans to run the Crime Lab."

"Was that last example real?"

"Come on…do you think **I** would have made up something like that?" Carrie's hand came to rest on her head.

"Okay then…was that last example what he told Sofia?" Sara burst out laughing. "Sorry…that was uncharacteristically harsh of me."

"You're very bad..." Carrie giggled uncontrollably under the influence of wine and girl humor. "I really wish you could have been there to help me out with Nurse Nasty. I know! Maybe you could write down a hundred good one-liners for when I run into the rest of his one night stands."

A hundred? I don't think it was **that** bad." Sara shrugged and did the math. "Okay…even if it was that bad…Nick had some serious baggage when it came to women and trust."

"Oh!" Stopping in mid stride Carrie grabbed Sara's shoulders. "I didn't tell you. She's in jail…she entered a **guilty** plea when charged with raping a little boy named Carson in Illinois. Mama Stokes coordinated the whole smackdown. I'll have to tell you more about it when I'm sober because it was a fantastic bust. It all came down while we were in the hospital. It was so hard for Nicky…that's why I cancelled the party we were supposed to have tonight…that it seems we're spontaneously having anyway." She shook her head and looked forward to enjoying the bottle of pinot noir she had purchased.

Stunned by the news and grateful for an explanation for Nick and Carrie's erratic behavior over the past couple of days Sara clarified, "You are talking about the babysitter, right?"

"Yes!" Then Carrie quickly cautioned, "But don't let on I told you. Let him tell you. It will be good for him to tell a few people when he's ready. And if it's okay with you, I'd like to drop it for now because I'm so desperate to not be stressed out tonight."

"Wow…" Under the street light Sara stared at her friend. "You guys really did have a rollercoaster week. Since I've had a few in my lifetime I can tell you the good news is, if they don't kill you they make you stronger."

"They apparently can also drive you to drink a bottle and a half of wine," Carrie replied while her eyes went glassy. "Sister rule in effect?"

"Of course."

"I don't want Nicky to know how bad it is but…the last time I was this much of a wreck was when I found out my mom had terminal cancer." Saying it out loud released her tears. "I'm a pretty tough woman, Sara, but…with the whole Mike Rodgers greeting card thing…the fight with Drew and the life-threatening injury…working through all the abuse baggage after the bust…and Nurse Nasty giving me the blow by blow of her time with Nicky, honestly…there were moments when I thought I'd snap and not be able to pull it back together. I even went so far as suggesting we move to an island and live on the beach selling shells."

Trying to cheer her friend, Sara teased, "But you couldn't wear shoes on the beach."

"That's what Nicky said too," she half-laughed, half-cried. "He also said I was too high maintenance for the lifestyle. Which is totally true." Swiping her tears a smile quivered over her lips. "You know the Peace Corps saying…it's the toughest job you'll ever love? This week, being Nick Stokes's fiancée was definitely the toughest job I've ever loved. But, even though I love it, I really could use a very short vacation from it. The problem is, my tour of duty will never be up, because I signed up for a lifetime of service and sometimes that seems so…"

"Scary…I know." Setting down the grocery bags, Sara fished some tissues out of her purse and handed them over. "You feel so overwhelmed you can't think straight and when you live together there's nowhere to go to be alone for a while. I think it's harder for people like us because we've always lived alone and not had serious live-in relationships before the big one." Sara picked up the bags and nudged Carrie along because she knew Nick would be in near-panic by now, since she figured he would have expected them back five minutes ago at the latest. "Bottom line…it's normal to feel a little suffocated when things get out of hand. Don't beat yourself up over it. It doesn't mean you love him any less, it's just means you're human and exhausted."

The words caught in her throat. "Sara…I'm fronting so much in front of Nicky I'm afraid I might self-induce schizophrenia. Until now, when I've needed him he was up to the challenge…and when he's needed me, I've been up to it, but right now…he needs me, and I'm running on fumes. How do couples cope in that scenario?"

Thinking back to Tahoe when she and Gil were mending their shattered relationship Sara counseled, "You go back to the basics…assuring each other the love is still there and that it always will be…you hold each other and just know that when you work through everything and the smoke clears, you'll still be together. That's really all you can do."

"Thanks for…" When Carrie heard Sara burst out laughing she blurted, "What's so funny?"

Sara pointed straight ahead. "Someone's ears were burning…or he's worried."

"You didn't bring your cell, Sweetheart!" Nick yelled as he held up Carrie's phone. "I was worried because you're dyin' to see the proposal and you said you'd hurry back. You should have been back five minutes ago at the latest."

Halting her tears, Carrie cheerfully said, "You stopped watching your game to come look for me? Wow…you really must have been worried."

Coming to rest in front of his fiancée Nick chuckled. "Uh…would it mean any less to you if I said it was halftime?"

"Hey, Cath and Warrick are here." Sara pointed down the street and bolted as she said, "I'll meet up with them and catch you guys back at the apartment!"

Seeing Carrie's cheeks shiny with dampness Nick warily asked, "Is everything okay?" The lengthy trip to the store when she was dying to see the proposal video combined with Sara's awkward and hasty departure engaged his paranoia and when he thought back to Carrie's earlier funk and desperate need for a night off from handling things, Nick went from paranoia to panic.

"Yeah…everything's…" The jolt of Nick's embrace took her breath away.

"This week is the worst it will ever be, Darlin'." He strengthened his grip and his tone. "I know I don't deserve you, and you don't deserve all this crap you've had to deal with because of me, but please…I love you, Carrie. The thought of losing you…no, I can't even go there…come on, Sweetheart…I know you're exhausted, but you gotta hang in…you can't throw in the towel…you need to finish what you started with me."

In a tense voice Carrie replied, "Nicky…I need…"

"Anything, Sweetheart…whatever it is, I'll do it."

"Stop squeezing me so tight," she wheezed.

"Oh." He dropped his arms. "Sorry."

Once she could breathe freely again Carrie smiled. "I think watching football has upped your testosterone level because that hug was almost a tackle and the pep talk very fourth-quarter inspirational." When she saw his brow furrowed and his jaw clenched she knew joking wasn't going to cut it. "I'm not going anywhere, Nicky." Raising her left hand she reminded him, "A promise is a promise. I just needed to get some stuff off my chest …and I'm a little drunk, that's why I cried so easily. I didn't want to burden you, so I talked with Sara that's all." Brushing her fingertips over his cheek she smiled and did as Sara had instructed. "I love you and I know we're going to be fine. Okay? You were way off base. I can't believe you'd even think…"

"Right…okay." After huffing out a breath Nick confessed, "I guess I'm still a little freaked from when you told me you'd leave me when I was in the hospital."

"Now come on, Mr. Insecurity, you know I said I'd only leave to protect you from yourself if you insisted on going ape every time someone looked at me the wrong way." Reaching out she grabbed his hand. "No other reason." Trying another attempt at lightening the mood she joked, "Well, I would leave if you decided to take up with Nurse Nasty, but I know there's no chance of that happening, because of your deadly chinchilla allergy."

"No ma'am…not a chance." His pulse steadied from watching her smile. "By the way, I'm not only allergic to chinchillas anymore. Now I'm allergic to all women other than you. Seriously, one passionate kiss and I'd go into anaphylactic shock and die, so you can bet I'll only be kissin' you for the rest of my life."

"You're still smoooooth Stokes." Slowly they gravitated toward each other and Carrie whispered, "I bet halftime is over."

"I don't care." Much to his surprise, he really meant it. "Kiss me."

"Wow!" Carrie laughed with the zeal of a woman who had downed a bottle and a half of wine. "If the Aggies can wait, then I know you love me!"

"I'm still waitin' on my kiss, Darlin'." His fears gone Nick teased in a husky whisper, "And we both know your kisses are extra hot when you're drunk."

"Sorry…I follow the rules. You have to wait until the Aggies score to kiss your date." Tugging him by the hand she took the lead and headed for the apartment. "Come on…we abandoned our guests."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****9:56 p.m. **

"Look who I found loitering outside," Sara announced as she walked in with Catherine, Warrick and Lindsay. "I'll be in the kitchen making popcorn for the show."

Tossing her purse on the entry table Catherine strolled into the living room. "I want a front row seat to watch Greg's American Idol audition tape."

While the adults exchanged greetings, Ryan and Sean realized Lindsay was in the room.

When Lindsay saw that Ryan and Sean were in the room she froze. It never dawned on her that they would be here because their mother's van was in the driveway at home.

"We're back!" Nick announced as he hurried Carrie into the room. "What's the score, Ryan?"

"Same as when you left."

"Excellent!" Nick went directly to the plasma while Carrie and Sara readied the champagne and popcorn in the kitchen. "None of us have seen the tape or know anything other than Tawny said yes..."

Catherine raised her hand. "Since Jim couldn't be here I'll say it for him…**shocking!**"

While the group laughed Nick got back to business, "As I was saying…even though we know she says yes, I think there are still a few elements we can bet on. For instance…twenty bucks says Tawny cried, who wants the action?"

Warrick was the first to answer, "As a former gambling expert, trust me when I say, only an idiot would bet she didn't cry…same for Sanders and definitely his mama."

As the adults wagered on proposal elements and ignored the kids in the room, Ryan retreated to the kitchen to get away from Lindsay. Sean, on the other hand, remained in the room trying desperately to think of small talk. Much to his relief, something finally came to him. "Would you like to see what Dr. Grissom got me for my birthday?"

Ignoring the question, Lindsay snipped, "Why aren't you at Celine's party if you're her new best friend?"

"I wanted to be here with my brother welcoming our uncle home."

"He's not your uncle."

"Not officially," Sean explained. "But he said we could start calling him uncle early because it feels like he is one already. Kind of like how you call Warrick your stepdad, but technically he's not."

After staring at Sean for a while Lindsay prodded, "So, you don't think it's weird that I call him my stepdad when he's really not?"

"No." Remembering what Dr. Grissom had told him earlier about girls sometimes acting angry but being nervous or upset on the inside, he took a risk. "I know things got off on the wrong foot at school but…if you promise not to pick on me with your friends, I'd like to be your friend again. Since we're neighbors, it's going to be hard not bumping into each other all the time so, it's practical to be friends. And we're in the same youth group and go to the same church. We'll be seeing each other all the time."

Desperate for a friend at Butterfield Lindsay tested the waters. "I doubt Celine is going to let you be my friend if you're her friend."

"She can't tell me with whom to be friends."

"She told you how to wear your hair."

"I promise I won't listen to her if she tells me not to be your friend or to be mean to you." Smiling he said, "In Leviticus it says to be kind to others. That's a part of the Bible I believe. As long as you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you."

"Deal." Losing a little of her edge Lindsay returned to Sean's original question. "So what did Grissom get you for your birthday?"

"My very own ALS." He proudly retrieved it and handed the extra set of tinted glasses to Lindsay. "I'll show you how it works." Since the din of the room was too noisy, he motioned for Lindsay to join him at the rear of the couch. "See…" He pointed to the floor. "I found my uncle's sweat droplets."

After staring at the remnants for a few seconds Lindsay removed her glasses. "Do you ever watch TV crime dramas?"

"No, I'm not allowed," he replied in a sad voice. "They're PG-13 and I'm only twelve. Maybe my mother will let me after I turn thirteen next week, but I doubt it, because she says there is far too much sex and violence for impressionable minds to be watching."

Having received her education from watching phony forensic scientists solve sex crimes Lindsay educated the sheltered almost-teen. "That's not sweat you found."

Puzzled by her statement Sean informed her, "I hate to disagree but, everyone else seemed to think it was sweat. What do you think it is?"

In his ear she whispered, "Spunk."

Confused by the answer Sean prompted, "Spirited courage?"

"Huh?"

"That's the definition of spunk."

"Are you for real?" When she saw his clueless expression she knew he was so she whispered, "What do they call the guys on Navy ships?"

"Sailors."

"**Sea-men!**" she blurted in frustration, causing a hush to fall over the room. "Those drops belong to your uncle alright, but it's not his sweat…although he might have been sweating when he was doing your aunt."

Horrified by the revelation, Sean quickly switched off the ALS and removed his glasses. "Uh…my aunt said the carpet was used when she moved in."

Catherine rubbed her temples. "Please tell me that was not my innocent daughter speaking."

When he saw the mortified look on Sean's face, Grissom's Catholic guilt reemerged and he knew from the glare he was receiving from Sara that he should start praying for forgiveness.

Seconds after the revelation, Carrie returned to the room wearing a sunny smile and carrying a tray of Dixie cups filled with champagne. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing!" Nick and Sara both yelled, and then Sara went on to lie, "We were just placing bets on the proposal. Cue the tape, Nick!"

"Sorry we don't have champagne glasses," Carrie apologized while handing out the paper cups of bubbly with a shaky hand.

"Put them on your wedding registry," Catherine suggested before cracking a smile. "A carpet steamer is another must have item for newlyweds too."

"Here we go!" Nick pressed play and hoped Catherine would focus her attention on mocking Greg instead of Carrie. Circulating to the back of the room he nudged Sean. "We'll talk about that later, okay? Don't sweat it. I mean, don't worry."

"Look how pretty Tawny looks!" shrieked McKenna who had been tuning out the weird grown-ups while playing Barbies.

"I don't get it, Tawny looks pissed," Catherine remarked. "Like she's trying to bolt."

When Greg's voice boomed through the speakers another hush fell over the room and it remained quiet as the group watched in shock as Greg belted out his song.

"Aww." Carrie's hands covered her heart. "I'm crushing on Chuckles again. He's singing even better than that time after your party, Sara. Wow…I love this." Then she realized her fiancé was gaping at her. "Not as much as your proposal, Nicky!"

Turning to Gil, Sara remarked in horror, "I'm so glad I never said yes to Greg when he asked me out. If he sang to me in public I would have died. Take note of that, husband."

"As if you'd have to worry about me breaking out into song in public…or ever," Gil choked on his laughter. "Fear not."

His champagne already gone Warrick crumbled the paper cup. "Greggo…Greggo…Greggo…huge tactical error, Man. You're setting the bar so high with the proposal how the hell are you going to wow Tawny in the years to come."

Although he was mesmerized by Greg' performance, Nick heard his buddy and concurred, "Damn straight, 'Rick."

Catherine felt compelled to taunt the boys. "From what Tawny told me about Greg's performance in the bedroom, he'll have no problem wowing her nightly."

Gil, Warrick, Nick and Hodges drowned out the song with their laughter.

"He's going down on one knee!" Carrie shrilled while grabbing Nick's arm. "I know she says yes but…I'm still nervous."

The whole room erupted in applause when Tawny went nuts over seeing the ring.

"Greggo's gonna lose it," Nick announced while pointing to the screen. "Three…two…one…**tears**!" Somehow watching his buddy shed a few made him feel better about the ones he spilled several times that week. "He's such a girl."

When the camera zoomed in on Greg slipping the ring on Tawny's finger even Catherine choked up. "They look like two Parkinson's Disease patients with those trembling hands. That's so cute."

"He's singing **again**?" Warrick remarked in disbelief.

"Nice smooch!" Catherine gave it a thumbs up.

"Damn…" Sara shook her head at the spectacle. "The only thing missing is fireworks."

"Oh!" the group exclaimed as the pyrotechnics engaged.

In the corner Celeste frantically wiped her tears of envy. The romance of the proposal made her regret the informal drive-thru wedding she and David had opted for in the spur of the moment. To make matters worse, his comfort level around Carrie's nephews and nieces had deteriorated over the evening instead of improving as Nick had hoped.

Meanwhile, in the back of the room, Sean felt beads of his own sweat forming on his forehead. As if the ideas of having unwanted wet dreams, BJs and sex weren't enough to terrify him that week, now he realized there was something even scarier he'd have to do one day. His fears bubbling up like a volcano, he gripped his hair and erupted, "I'm going to have to get on stage and **sing** in front of tons of people to get a girl to marry me one day!" With that, he passed out and hit the floor hard.

"Sean!" Nick and Grissom rushed to the boy's side as the others followed. Seconds later they were relieved he was coming around.

"How did I get on the floor?" Sean asked while glancing around at the people staring at him.

"Hey, Nicky!" Warrick yelled. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah…he's fine."

"Okay then…Aggies are in scoring position."

Nick pointed at Gil. "Can you help him up? I'm not allowed to lift anything over ten pounds for a while." Then he hurried to the TV.

"It's okay, Sweetie." Carrie took her nephew's hand as Gil pulled Sean to his feet. "Don't worry about singing. Your uncle didn't sing to me when he proposed." She burst out laughing. "Good thing too…I probably wouldn't have said yes, because he sounds like a…"

"Roxie…" Nick droned while starting at the screen next to Warrick.

"Oops." She covered her mouth and laughed. "Busted."

"Touchdown!" Nick smacked Warrick's hand for a high five. "And that means my date owes me a kiss!"

"I'm not one to buck tradition," Carrie slurred while gripping the couch and pulling herself to her feet. "Plant one on me! Everyone! Uh…I mean, everyone should kiss their dates, not kiss me."

Ever the opportunist, Catherine saw a way to snag some much needed affection from her man. "I love football and tradition," she purred while snuggling up to Warrick for the mandated kiss. "We'll be rude guests if we don't comply."

In a moment of weakness, and not wanting to look like Hodges who wasn't getting any action from his date, Warrick brushed his lips over hers and whispered, "My grandma taught me to always be polite when visiting someone else's home.

As couple after couple engaged in a lip lock Sean stood against the wall trying to cling to consciousness.

"Are you okay?" Lindsay sweetly asked while extending a cup. "I got you some water."

"Thanks." With a shaky hand he accepted the drink. Noticing all the couples kissing he gulped, "I should probably get some fresh air."

"I'll go with you because this geriatric make out session is turning my stomach."

On the dark patio Sean gulped down the water Lindsay had given him and watched his uncle and aunt kissing through the patio window. "I wonder if there are specific time limits for the post-touchdown kiss? Because they haven't stopped yet."

"It's not true."

Sean's attention refocused on Lindsay who was now standing right in front of him. "What you said about the carpet?"

"No…what Celine said about me and the football team." Swallowing her pride Lindsay shyly said, "Other than your brother that day in your treehouse…before the nightmare in his room," she shuddered at the painful memory, "I've only kissed one other guy…Jake from church…and all we did was kiss. I know you probably don't believe me but…it's true."

"I believe you," he immediately confirmed while locked on her eyes.

"Why?"

"Because Dr. Grissom said the eyes are the windows to the soul. When interrogating a suspect you have to watch their eyes for the truth." He pointed to her face. "Your eyes tell me you're not lying."

"Cool."

Flustered by the subject matter Sean said the first thing that popped into his head. "Who was a better kisser? My brother or Jake?" _I can't believe I asked that!_

"I can't believe you asked that!"

"Sorry!" He pointed to his head. "My mind…it's always curious. That's why I'll make a great scientist…but a really lousy cool guy. Sorry again…sorry."

"You've never kissed a girl, have you?"

He shook his head while averting his eyes. Next he heard Nick yelling 'Extra point. Kiss me again, Darlin'!' "My uncle said he didn't kiss a girl until he was fourteen, so I'm not worried." Intensely uncomfortable Sean kept talking. "He said it was a party in his friend's basement…there was a bunch of kids there and they were playing spin the bottle. On his first spin he had to kiss the prettiest girl in school and he was real nervous because he never kissed a girl before but he had to act like he had kissed plenty and stay cool. Uncle Nick tells it better…he's a really good storyteller…yeah…um…do you want to talk now?"

"Why are you acting so nervous?" Lindsay flirted as she took a seat on the wicker bench on the patio. "Are you afraid I'm going to kiss you?"

"Well um…are you?"

"No way."

"That's a relief." He relaxed his shoulders and took a cleansing breath. "If you had said yes I think I would have fainted again. My knees are feeling a little weak and I'm a little dizzy."

"Then you better sit down because I'm not catching you." She rolled her eyes and huffed, "Not after you said it's a relief that I'm not thinking of kissing you."

"Oh…" Realizing his faux pas after the fact Sean rambled as he took a seat. "I didn't mean that it's a relief because it would be gross. I meant that I don't know how to kiss a girl so if you kissed me I'd have to kiss you back and then I wouldn't know how and you'd laugh and that would be very stressful…thus…it was a relief that you weren't going to pounce on me like you did my brother." He cringed. "That was bad to say too."

"How about you stop talking for a while and let me take it from here."

He nodded, grateful for the direct instruction and her willingness to take the lead. "Thanks."

**Greg and Tawny's Limo  
****10:31 p.m**.

Alone for first time since the proposal, Tawny and Greg were thrilled when the driver shut the limo door and locked out rest of the world.

"Finally some privacy." Greg kicked off his shoes and relaxed against the leather seat.

Sitting next to her fiancé Tawny threw her arms around him. "Thank you for making this the best night of my life."

"Uh oh," Greg chuckled as Tawny smothered him with kisses. "I just realized I set the bar so high I'll never be able to give you a better night than this."

"Yes, you will…it's not the perfect performance, stunning ring and amazing fireworks that made it special…it was the thought you put into it and how you made me feel…" Not sure how she could have a tear left, Tawny felt one slip. "You made me feel worthy of all that attention."

"You are." With his thumb he brushed away her thousandth tear of joy. "And watching your reaction while I sang, and when I showed you the ring, and most of all when you screamed 'yes', was fantastic. In my wildest dreams, and you know me…I've had some pretty wild ones over the years, I never dreamed a woman would be that excited to spend the rest of her life with me. So, thank **you** for making **me** feel worthy."

Their smiles quickly met, and for the first time since their engagement, the enamored couple shared a private kiss.

"Wow…can you overdose on romance?" Tawny joked to stave off another round of joyful tears. "Because if you can, we have to be reaching a dangerous level."

"And what are the odds I can maintain this level of perfect romance much longer?" Greg replied as he loosened his tie and popped open the top button of his dress shirt.

"So, how about we just relax and have fun?" Knowing her way around limos, Tawny went to work creating the right mood with music and lighting and mixing a drink for her fiancé.

After tossing his jacket and tie Greg confessed, "How pathetic is this…I've never been in a limo without my parents." It was obvious from her expert knowledge of internal limo operations that unlike him, Tawny had spent ample time partying in the back of limos over the years and he felt a familiar pang of insecurity.

Tawny temporarily stopped pouring cognac when she realized she had experienced dozens of limo rides with dozens of guys, the last one being Drew, while Greg was once again 'the virgin'.

"Yep…" Greg tossed his jacket to the corner. "...no prom night action in the back of a limo for Hoj…nope…my grandparents' funerals, and trips to the airport with my folks were the only times I got to ride in one of these." Laughing at himself Greg said, "How's that for buzz killing a perfect romantic moment? Actually, I did that in case you were worried 'fame' had gone to my head. Fear not, Princess…I'm still the same lovable dork, I'm just wearing nice clothes and had professional voice and drama lessons from my mommy to pull off my show shopper."

"Chuckles…you know I love you just the way you are." She handed over the drink she made and snuggled up to him. "Drink up and chill out, because after everything you've done for me today, I intend to spoil you."

Sniffing the drink he teased, "You didn't slip something in here so you could take advantage of me, did you?"

"Nah…the alcohol will be more than enough to loosen you up. It's called 'Between the Sheets'…generous amounts of Cognac, Triple Sec, Rum and a teeny tiny splash of lime juice." Kicking off Carrie's Manolo's Tawny giggled, "It will take the edge off so you'll stop talking long enough for us to fool around."

After a hearty sip Greg sweetly informed her, "No…I don't want to get naughty with you in the limo after working so hard to make you feel like a Princess."

"Oh, come on…you don't think Cinderella and Charming got hot and heavy in the back of the carriage after their engagement? Sure they did. Rumor has it Cindy was preggers on her wedding day because of it." Tawny studied his eyes and watched him nervously take sip after sip. "Enjoy your drink while I take care of logistics, Prince Chuckles." Sliding to the end of the seat she pressed the intercom button and quizzed the driver. "How long until we reach the hotel?"

"Thirty minutes without traffic, Miss, but I can take the scenic route if you'd like."

Knowing that was driver-speak for 'let me know if you'll be fooling around back there so I don't interrupt', she confirmed his suspicions, "Show us the sights."

"Very well, Miss…buzz me and let me know when you've seen enough."

"Will do, thanks." Winking, she clicked off the intercom and relaxed in the seat across from Greg. "Now we can take our time."

Feeling his tension rise, Greg quietly replied, "Honestly, I'd rather…"

"Sweetie…" Staring him down Tawny stated her suspicions. "I think you're dying to live out your prom night limo fantasy…I think that's one of the reasons you orchestrated this moment, but after seeing me in here, feeling a little too experienced, you suddenly don't want to fool around because it's your first time. I think you're worried you won't do it well, just like the time I asked you to..."

"What? No. That's so…that's ridiculous…you're my fiancée now…why would I…" Looking for a little liquid courage, Greg downed the remaining half of his drink in a lengthy gulp. "Yeah, okay, that's the reason…you know me too well." He laughed at himself. "I should have opted for professional coaching in this area as well as singing. Not from my mom!" he quickly clarified before laughing again. "No, I meant lessons from someone with experience who's **not **related to me...like Nick. And by lessons I don't mean going through the motions with him, I mean talking it through so I wouldn't feel like a fish out of water while you…yeah…I'm shutting up now."

"It's okay, Chuckles." Grinning, Tawny tugged out the rhinestone barrettes and set them on the console. "I'm a little tired anyway. I think I'll just lie down and nap during the ride so we can celebrate in our room at the hotel." Reaching for the remote she instructed. "If you're not sleepy, you can watch TV."

"Great." He took the remote and accepted the chaste kiss to the cheek Tawny bestowed.

"Mmm…" Tawny faked a yawn as she sat on the leather seat across from Greg. "Really sleepy." Sighing, she slid onto her side and sweetly rested her head on her hands.

While Greg beat himself up for letting his paranoid ego rob him of his limo fantasy, he mindlessly flipped through TV channels. "Is something wrong, Princess?" he asked when he saw her change positions a third time.

"It's this dress." Her lips in a perfect pout, Tawny sat up. "It's fine when I'm not lying down, but it's way too uncomfortable to sleep in." She waited with baited breath for him to say the obvious and when he didn't, she realized how anxious he really was and took the lead again. "Since no one can see in the windows, I think I'll take it off for my nap." In one smooth move she was next to Greg and sweetly asking, "Would you unzip it for me?"

The request sending a shiver of delight through him, Greg acquiesced, "Sure…um…can you lift your hair?"

With a purposeful slowness she moved her hands over her head and once she gathered her golden curls, Tawny peered over her shoulder and asked in a whisper, "Better?"

After wrapping his fingers around the top edge of the halter dress Greg gripped the zipper with his other hand and replied directly into her ear, "Getting there." He guided the zipper south at a snail's pace and during the journey, he discovered his fiancée was wearing a delicate white lace bustier. "Is this new?" Greg anxiously inquired in a whisper while slipping his hands over it and letting her dress fall to her waist. "I love it on you."

Releasing her hair she replied in her sexiest voice, "Everything's new tonight…new dress…new lingerie…" With expertise she shed her dress and reclined until she was on her back, with her hair fanning over Greg's lap and her gaze locked on his. "New ring…" Her smile glinted like the diamonds she flashed. "And right now I'm looking for a new experience with you."

Returning her smile Greg swirled his fingertips over the exposed flesh between her bustier and thong. "I'm sorry I balked…I just…sometimes I get stuck overthinking and…and this time I couldn't help but think…"

"Greg…" Reaching up, Tawny gently pressed her palm to his mouth. "We both know there's not much I haven't done with other guys, but what you don't seem to grasp is…every time you and I experience something together for the first time, it's all new to me…and it's always the best I ever had, because you're the only man who's ever loved me." When he took the tips of her fingers into his mouth a delicious shudder jolted her body.

"Come here…" Greg urged while tugging her up. "I have to hold you."

In a flash she was kneeling on the seat and then straddling his lap. "Better?"

"Yes," Greg quietly answered while tightly wrapping his arms around her waist. "Much."

"It's kind of like the glass slipper." Undoing Greg's shirt buttons she explained in a sultry tone, "I've sat on thousands of laps in my time, but only yours in the perfect fit." After undoing his cuff buttons, Tawny ran her hands up Greg's heated chest and worked his shirt off his shoulders. "Only your touch has the perfect feel." When his hands began to roam she purred in his ear, "And only your kiss has the perfect taste."

Lacing his finger through her head of curls Greg claimed Tawny's mouth with a tender kiss that turned fiery within seconds. "I can't believe I was ready to give up on this fantasy." His heart thumped as his hands and mouth raced over Tawny's body.

When Tawny found herself on her back staring at the limo's ceiling she giggled, "Pretty smooth for a first-timer."

"Maybe I'm naturally talented at this along with music, science and math." With impatient fingers he worked open his belt. "I hope you brought the condoms," he joked.

"They're usually stocked in the console next to the wet bar," she replied in a momentary lapse of judgment. "Uh…at least that's what I saw in a movie." She chomped her bottom lip hoping she didn't just kill the mood.

After reminding himself she was exclusively his forever, Greg forged on, "I wonder if it will feel different now that we're officially one hundred percent engaged."

Thrilled by his relaxed demeanor Tawny taunted Greg by running her left hand over her heaving chest. "How does my new ring look?"

"Small in comparison to the surrounding geography." With confidence to spare Greg tossed his pants and boxers, coming to rest kneeling between Tawny's knees. "Black socks on or off?"

"The answer to that tonight and always is…**take** **them off!**"

"Oh, okay…I thought when you said you were looking forward to a new experience with me you meant…socks on."

"I'm loving every minute of this," she confessed in a lighthearted chuckle.

"Me too." Wiggling his brows Greg reached back and tugged off the left sock. "To quote Prince Charming in the back of the carriage that night with Cinderella…get ready to be dazzled, Princess." Then with a little more zeal, he went for the right sock.

"Oh!" Tawny shrieked when Greg slipped off the edge of the limo seat and landed face first on the floor. "Are you okay!"

"Uh…" Flipping onto his back he finally replied, "I'm okay…just bruised my face and my ego." Just when he figured the mood was killed, Tawny's lacy thong landed on his chest and she pounced on top of him.

"I bet this works too," Tawny assured her befuddled mate. "Hmm…I'm thinking it may even be optimal because you can feel the hum of the engine and…hmm…but I don't know for sure because I've never be in this situation in a limo before."

His smile returning Greg moved his hands to Tawny's waist. "Me either."

"Actually..." Words momentarily escaped her as their bodies fused but when her eyes fluttered open she caught Greg's blissful gaze and murmured, "You really know what you're doing when it comes to pleasing a woman, Baby. This limo love making location is just like this night, my ring, and you…perfect."

"Not quite perfect…I still have one black sock half on," he joked while savoring every gyration of her hips.

"Don't take it off!" Tawny screamed with porn star verve as her hands feverishly explored her body. "No…don't…because that half-on black sock is really working for me, Baby."

A second later their laughter rattled the limo's windows and when it eventually quieted, Tawny removed the half-on black sock and smiled brightly at her future husband. "Now do you get it?" She twirled the sock and tossed it. "I love you so much, you can't possibly go wrong."

In that moment when every doubt about himself evaporated, Greg comprehended the words he heard from Nick earlier in the day but couldn't grasp…_while the proposal was a fantastic moment in my life, I have to be honest, there have been a bunch of moments since then that rocked my world even more._ "Did you feel that?" Greg whispered as he coaxed Tawny to blanket his body.

"What, Sweetie?" Tawny ran her fingers through his hair while enjoying his smile.

Taming his wild grin, Greg replied, "It was either an infamous California earthquake, or you just rocked my world." When she burst into a gorgeous smile a second later only one word came to mind as Greg's heart thumped a little harder. "Aftershock!"

**

* * *

**

Thanks for reading!

Greg's proposal was a hard act to follow but I went with focusing on couple/character issues/development in this chapter…and hopefully some humor! I wanted write shades of different characters in other characters…Nick relieved to see Greg shed some tears (and then him mocking him for it in a classic insecurity move)…Sean's discomfort from being with an 'experienced woman' paralleling Greg's. I wanted to show that even though the characters are coping and moving forward they are still dealing with recent issues and they haven't been forgotten…Carrie showing her emotions to Sara…Tawny thinking that the last time she was partying in a limo it was with Drew and that Greg realizes that…Grissom making an effort with Nick after their falling out over the Tucker incident…and of course Sean's continued battle with puberty LOL

Thanks to: CinnamonFaerie, reachthestars and rojaji for leaving reviews and letting me know you're enjoying the story:-)

KJT has been working overtime as my consultant and editor. THANKS!

**I hope everyone is having a great weekend!  
****Maggs**


	36. Chapter 36

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 36**

**September 3, 2005  
****Grissom's Mercedes  
****11:02 p.m. **

After buckling his seat belt Gil turned to his stunned wife and said, "That was…"

"Something I really didn't need to witness." Sara blew out a tortured sigh. "Really…that was…"

"Extremely uncomfortable." Flipping the ignition Gil shook his head. "And going to be very hard to forget when we're back at work on Monday."

**Warrick's** **SUV  
****11:03 p.m. **

"Are you buckled up back there?" Warrick quizzed while glancing over his shoulder at McKenna who had a vice grip on her stuffed rabbit as she sat next to Lindsay. "Little Lady, your Aunt and Uncle have entrusted me to get you home safe so I want to be sure you're secure."

McKenna flashed her customary thumbs up. "Please get me away from the weird man, Mister Brown."

Lindsay nodded at her pseudo stepdad. "What she said."

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Catherine finally found common ground with her daughter. "You heard the kids, Mister Brown…step on it."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****11:04 p.m. **

Sitting in the dark at the patio table, Sean stared at the stars and prayed that somehow, even though he was a social misfit as a kid, he would grow up to be a normal adult.

**Greg and Tawny's Limo  
****11:05 p.m. **

Sitting naked across from Tawny in the back of the limo Greg fished out a third roasted peanut from the can in his left hand. "Let's see if you can go three for three." Grinning, he tossed the nut and rooted for Tawny to catch it between her breasts. "Score!" Greg lunged forward to retrieve his snack, happy to be partaking in such a frivolous activity after days of proposal anxiety.

"Why isn't this sporting event in the Olympics?" Giggling from Greg's touch Tawny said, "You're turn to catch."

"I don't think I'll be very good," Greg announced before laughing. "I lack the proper equipment."

"We'll be playing a different Limo Olympics event." Scooting over Tawny pressed the intercom button.

"Yes, Miss?"

"We're craving some fast food back here…onion rings in particular…and not those puny ones from Burger King." Winking at Greg she said, "No, we need **jumbo **onion rings."

"I know just the place Miss. It will be two minutes."

"Great. After that you can bring us to the hotel." Upon clicking off the intercom Tawny said, "I'm really good at ring toss."

"Uh…" Greg shifted uncomfortably against the leather. "You are going to let the deep fried onion rings cool off, right?"

Slinking over to him Tawny purred, "Mmm, of course…and while they're cooling off, I'll be warming you up for the big event, Baby."

Reclining against the leather Greg grinned from ear to ear. "I'm having the best night!"

**Grissom's Mercedes  
****11:10 p.m. **

Stopped at a red light Gil glanced over at Sara. "Are you still thinking about…"

"Yep."

"Is the image burned into your…"

"Yep."

**The Blakes**

**11:15 p.m. **

When Wendy opened the door she scooped up her daughter and cheerily asked, "Did you have a fun time at the party, Sweetie? I can't believe you're still awake at this hour."

"She was asleep," Catherine informed her neighbor. "Until…"

"The weird man woke me up," McKenna droned.

Wendy shot Catherine a look. "What is she talking about?"

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****11:17 p.m. **

Saddened to the core Carrie walked into the apartment and shut the door behind her. "That was…"

"Horrible," Nick stated in a heartbroken voice from his position on the couch. "Devastating."

Wiping an errant tear Carrie approached the couch. "I feel awful."

"I'm sick to my stomach." Nick placed his palm on his knotting gut.

Sitting next to his uncle, wearing the same nauseous expression, Ryan nodded. "I feel the same way."

"Really, Ryan?" A faint smile appeared on Carrie's face. "I'm surprised a guy your age would be so affected."

Swallowing hard Nick bit back his tears. "I was so sure…damn…I was totally caught off guard. I couldn't believe my own eyes."

"Me either." Ryan slumped a little further into the couch pillows. "It was like time stood still and then BAM…it was over."

Sitting between the guys Carrie sadly said, "Maybe it's for the best."

"What!" Nick and Ryan yelled as they stared at the insane woman between them.

"They didn't put in the work required so maybe they didn't deserve to make it."

"How can you say that, Darlin'!" Nick blasted. "They gave everything they had. No one expected Dean to pull off that unwanted miracle!"

"Dean?" Carrie gaped at her man. "Who's Dean?"

Ryan fielded the question for his clueless aunt. "Jad Dean…the guy from Clemson who just kicked a school record field goal **in the last two seconds** **of the game** for a heartbreaking 25-24 Clemson victory over the Aggies."

"Football!" Carrie blasted as she leapt off the couch. "Football! Your eyes are watering over the outcome of a football **game** when a marriage just imploded in front of our eyes!"

"Oh…" Nick cleared his throat and sat a little taller. "You were talking about Hodges and Celeste, not A&M's horrific loss." From the way she was staring at him Nick knew he was in the dog house. "Sorry…it's the meds…I just dosed up about twenty minutes ago and they're making me real slow tonight."

"Nicky…" Having personally escorted a sobbing Celeste to a taxi, Carrie was still shaken. "How could you finish watching the game when two people's hearts just shattered all over our living room floor?"

Ryan nudged his uncle. "Can you see shattered pieces of heart with the ALS or just sailors?"

"Ryan Patrick Blake!" Carrie threw a pillow at her nephew. "And here I thought you were being a sensitive guy!"

"Why would I want to be a sensitive guy?" Ryan countered. "Uncle Nick said sensitive guys don't get laid."

"I didn't tell him that!" Nick urgently placed his hand over Ryan's mouth. "The boy must have overheard me joking with Greg."

Infuriated by the lack of sensitivity in the room Carrie stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door.

Pointing at Ryan Nick spat, "You need to get that blurting problem under control, boy! **Never **share anything said man to man with a woman! It goes against the guy code. Break the code too many times and your nads will shrivel up to raisins and stay that way permanently."

From the patio doorway where he had been listening, Sean's tension returned full force. Now, on top of everything else, he had to worry about permanent testicle dehydration.

"Pardon me boys." Nick pulled himself to standing. "I need to go and dig my way out of the dog house."

"Uncle Nick…" Ryan pointed to the TV. "Can I order a pay-per-view movie?"

"Sure, do whatever you want, just don't disturb us in the bedroom." When he saw Sean gulp Nick clarified, "I'll be getting my ass chewed out and I don't want your aunt to be interrupted because then she'll start from scratch." Before opening the bedroom door he lectured his young guests, "You can eat whatever you want, watch TV, and stay up as late as you like since it's not a school night…sheets and pillows are in the hall linen closet…if you even sniff booze I'll kick your ass."

When Nick disappeared into the bedroom and Ryan heard the door lock a smile exploded on his face. "Okay, my brother, you rule following geek, you heard what he said, right?"

"Yes." Sean took a seat on the couch next to Ryan and watched him program the remote. "What movie are you ordering?"

"Naughty College Girls Number Five."

"What!" Sean grabbed the remote. "You can't…"

"Ah…ah…ah." Ryan pointed to the bedroom. "You heard the rules…he said we could watch TV and I could order a movie."

Gripping his hair Sean rocked on the couch. "But we're only twelve and the movie is rated more than R! The rule is you have to be seventeen. I'm sure Uncle Nick expects us to follow the Motion Picture Association's dictates."

"First of all, we'll be thirteen in two days…since you're a math whiz you really should know the rules about rounding up…we're teens. As far as the R rating goes…if your parent or guardian says it's okay for you to watch, you're allowed…and Uncle Nick said we could watch whatever we want."

"No! He said **eat** whatever you want."

When Ryan saw the movie description, 'These sexy College Students have been very naughty, now it is time for them to be taught a lesson' he remarked, "Don't worry…I'll be chewing up the scenery." Only seconds into the opening shot Ryan nodded. "Oh yeah…boobs on the fifty inch plasma in HDTV…I'm in heaven."

**The Willows/Brown Household  
****11:21 p.m. **

With a cold can of Diet Coke in hand, Lindsay plopped into her desk chair and clicked the AOL icon on her laptop. Anxious to blog about the night's events, she tapped her fingers on her chair's arm while waiting for the welcome screen to pop up and when it did she typed away...

_Tonight I was forced to go to this lame partyat my mother's co-worker's house to watch a video of another one of her co-workers proposing to the girl he knocked up two months ago and it ended up being a total freak show when yet another co-worker of my mothers went nuts while we all sat there. As if all of that wasn't bad enough, The Geek and The Jock were there too! Ugh! The Jock ignored me all night which wasgreat, but The Geek spoke…waaaaaaaaaay too much…he really needs to learn when to shut up . But we're cool again. Well, he's not cool, he's still a geek , but things are cool between us which I'm kinda happy about in a not happy about it in 'that' way so CHILL I'm happy because I need a friend at school. The Geek wasn't that bad tonight. He was funny actually…not that he was trying to be funny. What that boy doesn't know… _

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****11:23 p.m.**

"Ryan…" Sean grabbed a couch pillow and hugged it tight. "The other movies didn't show…"

"That's because the other movies were on a regular movie channel. This stuff is premium pay for soft porn." Ryan tilted his head. "Whoa."

"What if we get busted?" Sean gulped as he partially shielded his eyes.

Ryan grabbed a bowl of popcorn from the table and relaxed. "Don't sweat it…they're not coming out of the bedroom for a loooong time. You know, like when Mom and Dad get cranky about something and go off 'to talk' in the bedroom and then come out looking much happier."

And while the boys snuck a little late night naughty TV, the big boy in the bedroom was working his way out of the dog house.

"Carrie…would you look at me please?" He tapped on her shoulder hoping she'd turn over. "Are you asleep?"

"No…" Flipping onto her back she wiped her tears and rambled like the drunk, stressed out and overly emotional woman she was, "I'm just sad…Tawny and Greg were so happy in that video, and I was so happy, and then all that trauma between David and Celeste had to happen and remind me that there's still so much sadness in the world…and then you with the football game being Mr. Insensitivity…ugh…and everyone hated my bean dip even though I followed the recipe."

"I liked your bean dip."

"You're high on painkillers, you'd eat anything…I saw you eat hospital food, remember?" Two new tears squeezed out the corners of her eyes. "This isn't about the bean dip."

"I know." Slipping his hand into hers Nick firmly planted a kiss on the back of it. "I'm sorry if I irritated you, but I have to be honest…I really didn't feel much of anything about Hodges and Celeste breaking up because although he's a co-worker, I barely know him…and I don't know Celeste at all. Sure it sucks to see two people miserable but really…you said it yourself, they jumped into marriage without knowing anything important about each other. To me that's making a mockery of an institution I hold dear…so, no, I don't feel sorry for them. Hell, Greg and Tawny had all the reason in the world to have an insta-wedding but they've been taking their time and putting a lot of effort into getting to know each other and working through a lot of drama so they don't end up making a mistake…and look at the pay off. Tonight they were both on cloud nine and confident about spending the rest of their lives together. Now if it had been Greg and Tawny having that shouting match in my living room I would have been freaked because they're my good friends and innocent babies futures would be at stake. I guarantee you I wouldn't have been up to watching the game afterwards if Greg and Tawny had called it quits in my living room. Sorry if that sounds insensitive, but I think it's more important to be honest than to tell you what you want to hear."

Glancing in Nick's direction Carrie sighed, "So, while I'm playing the part of the silly drunk girl who just wants everyone to be happy because she's been dealing with sadness and pain all week, you're going to be a logical man about this, huh?"

"Sorry, I'm predisposed by my DNA." Smiling, he pointed to the spot next to her. "Can I snuggle up or are you still ticked?"

She answered by opening her arms to welcome him.

"You know…" Nick paused to kick off his shoes and then he cuddled up. "We cancelled everyone coming over tonight for a reason…so we could have a quiet evening at home watching our first football game together and recouping from a hellish week. The game was important to me, not because I'm a football nutjob, but because it was my opportunity to zone out from everything else weighing heavy on my brain for a few hours."

"I know…I know…and I'm really sorry." Carrie pushed out a heavy sigh. "When Ryan called and wanted to watch the game with you because Sean got to frolic on a farm of corpses all day with Gil, I felt sorry for him. Then McKenna got on the phone and reminded me I said she could see you when you came home because only the boys were old enough to visit you in the hospital. After that, Sara took the phone and asked if you were okay...what can I say?" Smiling at her man Carrie said, "You're just too popular and I'm a softie."

Once Nick was in his fiancée's arms Nick he confessed, "I never shoulda challenged Hodges to that game of Trivial Pursuit…"

_Dying to finish the never-ending game of Trivial Pursuit, Nick secretly asked an easy question he recalled from a previous card rather than the obscure one on the card he pulled. "Damn it!" he faked annoyance. "Just my luck...it's a leisure question." "Damn it! It's a leisure question." _

"_Yes!" Hodges slid to the edge of his seat and readied for his win. "I'm the King of Leisure!"_

_Shaking his head Nick groaned the question, "What flavor is the schnapps that puts the fuzzy in a fuzzy navel?" _

"_**Peach!**"_ _Hodges exclaimed while jumping to his feet. "I won! I won! **Yesssssssssss!**" Around the room he did the happy dance and finally he came to rest in front of his wife who he only then noticed was crying. "Tears of joy over my win! That's so sweet! No, it's **peachy**!" _

"_They're not tears of joy, David." Celeste didn't make an effort to wipe them because she knew fresh ones would stream in their place. "You're happy that you won so you don't have to discuss kids with me anymore. It's over…and I don't mean the game." _

_On the couch Catherine grabbed the remote from Nick, muted the TV and put on the captions. _

"_What?" David reached out and took his wife's hand. "No…I'm happy because Nick has to suck up to me for a week." _

"_It's okay…you are who you are and I don't want to force you or change you." Celeste crossed the room to find her purse. "I've watched you all night…you and the children blended as well as water and oil." _

_In his science-challenged brother's ear Sean whispered, "That's bad." _

_Checking his watch, Grissom loudly cleared his throat. "Wow! Look at the time, Sara." He had been around long enough to recognize a train wreck._

"_Right!"_ _She jumped out of her seat in the dining room. "We have this thing in the morning…" Unfortunately her path was blocked by the unhappy couple. _

"_I like some kids. Like…" David glanced around. "**This kid!**" He yelled as he grabbed Sean by the arm and pulled him close. "Stan is great!" _

"_My name's Sean…and can you let go of me, please?" _

_Hodges stared at the kid. "Is your middle name Stan?" _

"_Let go of my brother!" McKenna charged across the room and kicked the weird man in the shin. _

"_Ow!" Hodges released his grip on Sean's wrist and raced his hand to the bruise forming. "Dammit! Those pointy pink dress up shoes hurt!"_

"_The mean man said a bad word!" McKenna shrilled while pointing. _

"_Goodbye, David." Celeste hurried in front of the couch but was stopped when her husband's grabbed her arm pleading, "I can change!" _

_With his view of the TV blocked during the last minutes of the fourth quarter, Nick deadpanned, "How about changing locations for a start?"_

_But the couple could only hear each other's desperate words. _

"_A mutual love of board games, the bionic man and cream soda isn't enough, David." Celeste stood her ground. "I've waited this long for happiness and I refuse to cheat myself by settling." _

"_You don't have to settle! You can have my seed! And I'm not just saying it! I mean it. I'll prove it to you!" He frantically glanced around the room until he found his hostess. "Carrie! May we borrow your guest room for ten minutes!" _

"_Ten minutes?" Warrick raised his brow at Catherine. "That's the saddest thing I heard so far." _

"_Uh…" Caught off guard by the request and too drunk to think clearly, Carrie said, "Sure! But I haven't had time to change the sheets since Nick's mom slept there…but don't worry, she's very clean." When she saw Sara cringe Carrie shrugged. "What should I have said!" _

_When Hodges and Celeste quickly disappeared into the guest room a hush fell over the room until Lindsay said, "Nick…Hodges is trying to impregnate his wife in your guest room while children are present. Shouldn't you be doing something?" _

"_Yeah…" Nick's eyes were locked on the TV as he reclaimed the remote from Catherine. "I'll turn up the volume so we don't hear anything." _

"_You're insane!" was what everybody heard instead of the football game as Celeste threw open the guest room door and bolted out fully clothed. "You don't create a life this way, David! It should be done out of love, not a pathetic desperation to remain married!" _

"_Damn…" Nick and Warrick both groaned as the hysterical guest paused in front of the TV again. _

"_Pooky!"_ _Hodges darted out of the room pulling up his pants but tripped on a Barbie doll and dropped his drawers upon startling. With his shirt off, his white skin brightened the room. "Don't leave me!" _

"_**Oh!**" Everyone gasped at the sight of Hodges standing there with his black trousers around his ankles and his Pillsbury Dough Boy Boxers that said, 'What's Cookin'. _

"_My mommy has an apron with the dough boy on it," McKenna curiously announced while staring at the weird man. "I understand that." Shaking her head she sighed, "This I don't understand." _

"_Don't worry, Sweetie." Catherine pulled the little girl on her lap. "It's a good thing you don't."_

_And while everyone was mesmerized by the front of Hodges's boxers, only Sara could see the back which displayed the words 'Good Lookin'. "**Oh!**" The sight of that saying on her co-worker's ass combined with his pale skin and hairy legs forced her to shield her eyes. _

"_I love you, Celeste!" Hodges pleaded as he got down on his knees. "I can't be a two-time loser at love. First Vicky Lynn dumps me and now you! Please!" _

_Holding her head high, Celeste grabbed her purse. "Carrie…Nick…it was lovely meeting you both, but if you'll excuse me, I have to get home and feed my ferrets." _

"_I'll walk you out!" Carrie shouted, feeling horrible for the sobbing woman. _

"_Hodges…" Grissom prodded the stunned man. "You really should pull up your pants now." _

Staring at each other Carrie remarked, "How funny is it that Hodges's first dumping was by a girl named Vicky Lynn?"

"You mean because it's the name of the chick whose ass you kicked in Flagstaff?"

"What if they're the same person!" she giddily exclaimed.

"The world is small, but not that small." Shifting to get a little more comfortable Nick said, "I have a surprise for you, Darlin'."

"Really?"

"I pulled Sara aside earlier and asked if she was free to hang out with you tomorrow." A loving smile crested on Nick's face. "When she stepped outside she was calling around looking for spa openings. She'll be coming by in the morning to accompany you on a girls-only day of pampering…eight solid hours away from caring for me and worrying." He winked to signal he had inside knowledge. "Call it a mini vacation from your tour of duty."

"Awww…she was worried about me…and you're worried about me." Leaning over she snatched a kiss that sent her stomach into a delightful swirl. "Eight hours? But I'm going to miss you…maybe we could just do four." When a pillow smacked her in the face she cracked up.

"I don't want to see your ass in this apartment for eight hours tomorrow, Blake." Removing the pillow he teased, "That just clued me into your real problem. I haven't seen your ass in over a week."

"How is that **my** problem?" she asked in a laugh.

Knowing she'd be shy about it, Nick whispered the answer in her ear. "You're tense because you haven't been actively releasing tension after getting used to regularly releasing tension in bed with me."

"I really do miss that," she confessed. "I didn't know what I was missing before I met you, but now that I do know what I'm missing…I miss it…I reeeeally miss it." When she felt his fingers dip under her t-shirt Carrie smacked his hand. "Hey now…you're restricted for another week. Just because I'm drunk, I'm not letting you be easy."

With his hot breath fanning against her neck Nick assured her, "I don't intend to be on the receiving end of anything, Darlin'." Popping the buttons on her jeans Nick chuckled, "Haven't you heard…it's better to give than receive?"

Carrie's hands gripping her hair she nervously said, "You mean **just **me?"

"Yes, ma'am." Tugging off her jeans he calmly said, "Don't worry, I'll let you return the favor some day. If you're self-conscious, just pretend it's one of those times when I finish first and help you out after…or…Plan B is you go it alone and let me watch because I think that would be fun too." When he saw her cover her face Nick sweetly chuckled, "That's what I thought you'd say. Okay, we'll stick with Plan A and save that other scenario for a rainy day."

"Thank goodness rainy season is over in the desert!" Her hands still over her face Carrie whispered, "Are you sure you're feeling well enough to…you know."

"The only pain I'm in is over the Aggie loss, the painkillers have numbed everything but that. Physically I'm feeling great."

Starting to warm up to the idea Carrie removed one hand from her face. "Won't you get excited?"

"Yeah, but I'll talk myself down." Grabbing her hands Nick tugged Carrie to sitting and quickly discarded her t-shirt. "My new anti-boner thought is Hodges standing in my living room wearing that asinine dough boy underwear. Ten seconds focused on that image and I'll be down for the count."

"And here I was thinking of buying you those boxers for Christmas," she giggled uncontrollably from the thought and Nick's expeditious removal of her bra. "Smooooth Stokes."

"I'm tryin'". Carefully positioning himself for optimum comfort and flexibility Nick brushed Carrie's curls off her face. "You bein' so tense is reminding me of the first time."

"I was just thinking about that yesterday." The hypnotic brush of his fingers over her gently rising and falling torso sent shivers of delight through her body, and when he eventually reached the satin of her panties Carrie's eyes fluttered shut. "I love you, Nicky."

"I love you too, Sweetheart," he murmured before tugging on her ear lobe with his mouth. "Ready to relax and enjoy yourself?"

"Mmm…yeah…work your magic." Carries lips spread into a smile while her eyes stayed firmly closed. "This is a **really** nice surprise."

**The Regent Beverly Wilshire  
****11:48 p.m. **

Step after step into the palatial hotel lobby Tawny's heart beat faster. "Greg…it's exactly like the movie." Her eyes turned upward. "That chandelier is gorgeous." When he gaze lowered she saw the table with an enormous floral centerpiece. "This table and flowers were in the movie too!"

"That movie is over ten years old," Greg stated while tugging Tawny toward the check-in area. "How have they managed to keep those flowers alive that long?" Feeling more relaxed than he could ever remember, Greg walked up to the desk and smiled, "Greg Sanders…I have a room reservation."

"Yes, of course…Mr. Sanders." Terrence nodded and quickly retrieved the special guest's portfolio. "You'll be staying in our Ambassador Suite."

"Hold up." Greg froze while handing over his credit card. "I didn't reserve a suite, I reserved a standard room." He couldn't imagine how much something called the Ambassador Suite would cost.

"You've been upgraded." Terrence handed over an envelope. "Courtesy of Charles Dwyer…the Dwyers are special customers of ours and young Charles called in a favor."

In Greg's ear Tawny whispered, "I bet that means Terrence looks the other way when the Dwyer men bring slutty female guests through the lobby…just like in the movie. Ugh…those Dwyers are swine."

Greg quickly whispered back, "Does that mean you don't want to accept the upgrade?"

"Are you kidding!" Ecstatic for her first stay in Beverly Hills, Tawny snatched the suite key. "Is room service included?"

"Yes." Terrence pointed the envelope he had given the guest a moment ago. "Mr. Dwyer details everything in the letter." He snapped his fingers for the bellman to escort the guests. "Enjoy your stay at The Regent Beverly Wilshire and congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you," the happy couple both replied.

"Let me guess…" Greg swung Tawny's hand as they strolled behind the bellman to catch the elevator. "You want to order strawberries and faux-champagne and eat them while watching an 'I Love Lucy' repeat."

"Yep!" She pecked his cheek and giggled, "And I want to take a bubble bath together!"

**The Mandalay Bay  
****11:54 p.m. **

"Feeling better?" Gil asked his wife who was reclined against his soapy body in the bathtub.

Gliding her hand over the bubbles Sara slipped a little lower into the tub. "I hate seeing couples screaming at each other…even when it doesn't have violent overtones, it's just…I don't know…it gets to me."

In silence, Gil slowly wrapped his arms around Sara's waist.

Trying to shake off the unwanted childhood memory that popped into her head Sara said, "I'll never be able to look at Wendy in her Pillsbury Dough Boy apron again without thinking of Hodges and his boxer shorts."

"I can't believe they even manufacture those shorts. How many men do you think wear them?"

"One too many for sure."

After sharing a laugh Gil whispered in Sara's ear, "I was thinking of getting some."

"What garlic is to vampires, those shorts are to my libido."

"Not for myself, Sara," he laughingly assured her. "To give as gifts to Nick and Warrick."

An image of Warrick in the silly shorts materialized in her head. "Yeah…I'm sure Catherine would love seeing her man in those."

**September 4, 2005  
****The Willows/Brown household  
****12:04 a.m. **

Standing in the dark kitchen in front of the open fridge Catherine considered her snack options.

"You couldn't sleep either?" Warrick commented when he padded into the kitchen in a white tank shirt and navy pajama bottoms. With Catherine wearing his favorite gold silk robe and basking in the refrigerator light she looked heavenly. "I heard your door open…I thought I'd see if everything was alright."

"The door squeaks."

"I'll get some WD-40 on the hinge in the morning."

"Don't you dare." Turning to face him, her eyes and voice softened. "Because if the door doesn't squeak, how will you know when to follow me?"

Reaching out Warrick wrapped his fingers around Catherine's wrist. "Come here."

She left the fridge door open and slipped into his embrace. "Thanks…I needed a hug."

"Me too." He rested his head on hers and squeezed her tight. "Were you really out here because you were hungry, or were you hoping I'd hear you and come out of my room?"

"I really am hungry." Pulling back she caught his eyes. "I had a couple of chips and bean dip at Nick and Carrie's but it made me queasy. I just got my appetite back."

"That bean dip was nasty…but it was the sight of pasty-boy Hodges in those stupid-ass dough-boy boxers that made my stomach flip. How the hell am I supposed to get that image out of my head when talking to him in Trace?"

"Especially if he's analyzing flour."

Laughing together in each other's arms the world felt right again.

Running his fingers through Catherine's hair Warrick gazed into her eyes. "I'm glad we started talking more, because I don't ever want to have a blowout with you in the middle of Nick's living room."

"I don't want one in our living room either."

Eyes locked on each other Warrick whispered, "You wanna try out our hot tub?"

"Are you teasing or spoiling me?"

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****12:17 a.m. **

When Carrie returned to the bedroom after enjoying the hot bath Nick had drawn her she found her fiancé sound asleep in bed. _That's interesting…he falls asleep after fooling around even when he doesn't O. _After a sweet kiss to her sleeping man's cheek, Carrie cinched her white terry spa robe tighter and headed out the bedroom door anxious to snack on the leftover brownies from the impromptu gathering earlier.

"Ryan!" Sean frantically whispered when he heard the bedroom door opening. "Change the channel!" Giving him a shove he realized his brother was sound asleep…and sleeping on top of the remote.

"Hi, Sean," Carrie dreamily greeted her nephew as she stood in front of him with her back to the TV. "You're still up?"

"Uh…" He clutched the bed pillow planted on his hips a little tighter and prepared to explain the risqué movie on the big screen. "I'm really…"

"I came out for some chocolate," Carrie sighed as she continued on her journey without a care in the world.

Once his aunt was in the kitchen, Sean shook his brother. "I need the remote!"

"Huh?"

"The remote!"

Squinting, Ryan groggily said, "It fell in the crack of the couch. Just get up and shut it off."

"I can't get up. What if Aunt Carrie comes back out while I'm standing and sees…" He pointed to his crotch. "Can't you shut…oh no…she's on her way back."

Ryan slammed his eyes shut and feigned sleep.

Still tingling with pleasure Carrie floated into the living room nibbling on a fudge brownie. "Night, Sean."

"Uh…night, Aunt Carrie." Once she was behind the closed door he bolted up to change to the Discovery Channel.

Carrie suddenly poked her head out the door. "I think we have a problem."

"I'm sorry!" he shrieked while turning off the TV and turning his back to his aunt.

"For what?" Carrie walked out and apologized, "I'm the one who's sorry. I don't have any new toothbrushes to give you guys. I usually have a supply on hand because Nicky and I both take dental hygiene very seriously. Promise me you won't tell your mom that I let you go to bed without brushing."

"I promise."

"Thanks."

"That was so close." Sean relaxed his shoulders and steadied is breathing, but his relief was short-lived.

"And, Sean…" Carrie called when she stuck her head out again. "Leave the TV off because you shouldn't be watching that nasty stuff. I'll have Nicky lecture you about it in the morning." Shaking her head she droned, "If it were Ryan sneaking a peek I wouldn't be shocked, but you? Ugh…very disappointing."

"But!"

When the door shut Ryan opened his eyes and cracked up. "You're such a perv, Bro!"

"Me! This is all **your** fault!"

**Hodges Apartment  
****12:31 a.m. **

Staring at his shelves of board games Hodges saw one common phrase on all of them 'For 2 to 4 players'. Once again he was alone and the games, like his life, were suddenly without value.

Knowing he'd never be able to sleep, he stepped forward and grabbed his souvenir deck of Mighty Mouse playing cards. They were vintage and he never played with them for fear of tattering their delicate paper but since it was a special occasion…the day his last chance at happiness ended, he decided to splurge.

Trudging to the kitchen table he stopped at the stereo and spun the dial from the upbeat station Celeste had preferred back to the depressing one he used to play. Next he took a seat at the kitchen table…the table with 2 chairs and he noted the empty chair never looked more symbolic or ominous.

Alone in the dimly light room, while a sad song filled his apartment, Hodges dealt his first hand of solitaire and accepted the fairy tale was over.

**The Regent Beverly Wilshire  
****12:52 a.m. **

After heading directly to the bedroom suite for a bubble bath, Tawny and Greg realized they hadn't inspected the rest of the luxurious suite. "I'll call for room service," Greg announced from the desk.

"I love you in that hotel robe," Tawny giggled while tying the belt of her matching one. "We're definitely putting these on Charlie's tab."

When she saw a piano in the far corner of the main room Tawny slid onto the bench. "I can't believe there's a piano **in** the room."

Finished ordering, Greg joined her on the bench. "They have a piano here so you can have someone play while you're hosting a cocktail party."

"Play something for me."

"Noooo." Greg shook his hands. "I earned my freedom from my mother's piano lessons years ago and I'm loving retirement."

Glancing up she shot him a loving smile. "Come on…you came out of retirement to sing and I loved every second that." Suddenly she remembered another scene from the movie and stood on the bench.

"What are you doing?" When he saw her reclining on top of the piano he figured it out. "Of course…Vivian listens to Edward play the piano." Cracking his knuckles Greg stared at the black and white keys. "As if I could say no to you tonight anyway."

"Play something classical…maybe Mozart…or Chopin?"

"Uh…" Greg looked up and laughed. "You seem to be confusing me with someone who doesn't suck at piano."

"You always think you suck at something when you're not perfect at it. It's one of your issues."

"True, but this time I really do mean I suck."

"Okay, then…play chopsticks."

"Ugh…anything but that." Placing his fingers on the keys Greg readied to end his piano strike. "Name this tune."

Only seconds in she shrieked, "London Bridge!"

"Very good." The feel of the keys was surprisingly familiar even after all this time. "It seems this is just like riding a bike. Okay, next one…"

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!"

"She's on fire!" he teased. "This one will be a little harder."

"Jingle Bells!"

Seeing her eyes lit with excitement Greg's smile ignited. "You'll never get this one." Watching her expression instead of the keys he began playing.

Unlike the other three songs, this one didn't have a children's tempo. "It's beautiful, but I have no idea what it is."

"It's something I made up when I was twelve. I've hit four wrong notes already."

"I didn't notice."

He smiled as he forged on. "Ah ha! You're tone deaf…that's why you like my singing so much." When their gazes locked again Greg said, "I played this whenever my mother was out of the house because I didn't want her to know I liked playing. Oops…that bad note was reeeeally bad."

"Greg…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad we didn't rush into getting married after finding out the baby news." Her eyes glassing she whispered, "After seeing you place a ring on my finger out of love tonight, I realize it would have been meaningless to get married out of obligation right after finding out I was pregnant." A grateful smile unfurled. "Thanks for demanding we wait and for sticking to your big plan."

"Thanks for not strangling me during the wait," he teased. "You came pretty close once or twice."

"I know...I was just scared that it wasn't going to work out."

"I was too." Swallowing the lump rising in his throat Greg confessed, "I think there will still be times when one or both of us gets scared and thinks the worst. I'm not saying that to freak you out…I just want you to be prepared." A corner of his mouth inched up. "My dad told me that earlier today actually."

"He's right." Tawny acknowledged the point with a nod. "But now the difference is I'll know it's only a temporary feeling because we can get though anything if we try hard enough."

"Except this song." Stopping, Greg raised his hands. "That's as far as I got before I quit playing piano for good."

"I loved it. You should finish it one day," she urged while sitting up and holding out her arms.

Standing up he shrugged. "I've got a lot of other priorities." With that he lifted her off the piano. "Room Service should be here any minute. Where would you like to eat your strawberries, Princess?"

Eskimo kissing as he cradled her Tawny whispered, "In your arms."

"I love that answer."

**The Willows/Brown household  
****1:14 a.m. **

Standing in front of her bedroom door Catherine asked the clichéd question, "Would you like to come in for a nightcap?" They had just spent a glorious hour talking and taking turns massaging each other's shoulders in the hot tub and the last thing she wanted was to spend the night alone.

"Hmm…" Leaning against the wall Warrick casually replied, "Whatcha got?"

"Tap water."

"Okay."

"I hope you don't mind it served in a paper...whoa."

Lifting her off her feet as if Catherine was a feather Warrick growled in her ear, "The last thing I wanted to do tonight was sleep alone."

"Just let the record show it was you who caved."

"Guilty as charged," he replied while landing both their bodies on the bed. "But let the record show we also talked for an hour prior to me caving."

"I guess it's official…good communication is our new foreplay."

"Then I look forward to communicating with you on a regular basis."

Meanwhile, out in the hall, Lindsay was padding to the kitchen for some Sprite because the bean dip she ate earlier had been churning her stomach for hours.

It didn't take her long to figure out the score…Warrick's door was open and muffled sounds were drifting out from under her mother's door. "They made it one whole night." And while normally the idea would turn her stomach harder than Carrie's bean dip, tonight, after watching a couple break up before her eyes, she was grateful the old folks were getting it on.

Glancing out a side window of the house she noticed Sean's room had a light on and for a moment a smile appeared on her lips as she wondered if he would look out his window at the same time. Then she remembered he was sleeping over at Nick and Carrie's. _What was with that smile?_ she asked her subconscious as she started walking. _Don't do that when thinking of the geek._ Freezing again in her tracks she thought, _I wonder if he ever subconsciously thinks of me? _

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****7:54 a.m. **

When Ryan returned from the guest bathroom he saw his brother was still snug under a blanket on the couch sound asleep and wearing the goofiest expression. "He even looks like a geek in his sleep." Deciding he was hungry Ryan pulled on his jeans and headed for the kitchen. At the door he stopped. "What?"

Glancing over his shoulder he realized that Sean was mumbling in his sleep so he stepped closer and listened.

"Lindsay…"

"Ha!" Ryan slapped his palm over his mouth so his laughter wouldn't wake his brother and ruin the quality entertainment.

"Kiss…"

Just then the bedroom door opened and Ryan saw Nick looking freshly showered and dressed. "Shhh." He placed his finger to his lips and then pointed to his ear.

"Yes…"

In Nick's ear Ryan whispered, "He already said Lindsay's name and kiss."

"What are you guys doing?" Carrie curiously inquired upon approach.

"Shhh." Ryan cautioned his aunt.

"Beautiful boobs…yes…"

"Oh!" Carrie covered her mouth a little too late to mask her surprise.

Startled by the scream Sean snapped out of the dream.

"Dude!" Ryan pointed to his brother. "You talk in your sleep."

"I…wha…" Sean froze in sheer terror.

With glee Ryan informed him, "And you were sayin' some naughty stuff about Lindsay Willows!"

"Nicky," Carrie's spoke in parental tone. "Last night I found Sean watching spicy pay per view TV. You need to talk to him."

Pulling his fiancée aside Nick whispered, "Carr, come on…you don't have to say it in front of his brother. Sean already looks like he's gonna hurl just from being busted about talking in his sleep. This is really embarrassing stuff for him."

"Sorry…" Carrie returned to the couch and pushed out a sunny smile, pretending she never mentioned the issue. "Who wants bagels? I'll drive to the store."

"I'll go with ya!" Ryan walked to the door. "I want to pick my own."

"How about you, Sean? Are you coming?" Carrie asked, trying to make up for embarrassing him. "I'll buy you anything you want." When he just sat on the couch shaking Carrie looked over at Nick. "I didn't mean to…"

Taking her hand, Nick walked Carrie to the door. "You two go on. Sean will keep me company."

"They're gone," Nick announced when he returned to the couch. "How about we head into the kitchen and have a man to man chat over milk?" When Sean didn't budge Nick assured the terrified boy, "I'm not gonna yell at you. Trust me…I've walked in your shoes and won't be casting any stones." Still the boy didn't budge. "Sean…really…it's okay." He patted him on the back. "Let's…"

Sean frantically shook his head.

"Is something wrong?" His concern mounting Nick took a seat on the coffee table. "Did you eat your aunt's bean dip?" When he saw tears spill from Sean's eyes Nick leaned in. "You need to calm down, okay…you're gonna hyperventilate if you keep breathing like that. Trust me…you didn't do anything teenage boys haven't been doing since Cable TV came to town."

"Uncle Nick…" Sean gripped the blanket and squeaked, "Why did this have to happen today…here?"

"I'll give you that getting busted watching soft core by your aunt is uncomfortable, but it could have been much worse."

"It is much worse." After a jagged breath Sean finally found the courage to blurt, "There's spirited courage all over Aunt Carrie's good linens!"

"Spirited…courage?" Nick cocked his head and pondered the phrase. "Oh!"

"This never happened before!" His panic intensified. "What am I supposed to do! I don't want Aunt Carrie to know!"

Trying not to smile Nick stood up. "She won't…I promise. I make my living handling evidence with the utmost professionalism and discretion. I'm gonna head in the kitchen to get a plastic trash bag. I'll put everything in there and hide the bag. After she leaves for the spa I'll wash everything up. While I'm doing that…go into the bedroom, freshen up in my bathroom and then grab a clean pair of underwear from my dresser drawer….they'll be a little big, but they'll do. Sean…I promise…no one will find out. Okay?"

Nodding like a madman Sean waited for his uncle to leave the room and as soon as the coast was clear he made a mad dash for the bedroom and shut the door.

"Nicky…" Carrie called out upon opening the front door. When she had reached the parking lot she discovered her car had a flat and had come back for his keys to the Xterra.

When she saw the living room was empty, Carrie headed for the bedroom and opened the door. "Nicky, I need to…" The sight of her naked nephew trying on her white Jockey underwear blew her mind. "Sean…"

The combination of female and pubescent boy screams coming from the bedroom were Nick's first clue that all had not gone according to plan. "Oh, shit."

"Nicky!" Carrie shrieked as she ran out of the room. "Help!"

"Darlin'…the boy only had a wet dream. He's not…" When he saw her grab the first aid kit from the hall closet and rush back into the bedroom he hurried after her. "What the hell happened!" Nick screamed as he saw blood streaming down Sean's face as he lay unconscious. "Did you think he was an intruder and nail him with something when you came into the bedroom?"

"No!" Carrie yelled while pressing a wad of gauze to the open wound on Sean's head. "I walked in when he was pulling on a pair of my underwear."

"**Your **underwear!" Nick glanced down at the boy's ankles and saw that Sean had mistaken the boyish underwear Carrie wore while exercising for his. "He needed a fresh pair and I told him to grab a pair of mine from the dresser." Kneeling down he assessed the damage. "Let's not panic. I'm sure it looks worse than it is."

Feeling terrible Carrie explained, "I screamed 'What are you doing with my underwear' and he took off running for the bathroom but tripped when the underwear fell to his ankles…" Wincing from the image she said, "His forehead smacked the corner of the nightstand. Nicky…I'm scared. He's not coming to. You're not allowed to carry him to the car. We need to call 911."

"He'll be okay, Sweetheart." Nick crossed the room and grabbed the phone just as Ryan entered the bedroom.

"What's taking so long?" The sight of his Aunt tending to his naked and bleeding brother sent his head spinning. "Oh my God! What happened! We weren't gone five minutes!" The room started to spin as his terror and notoriously weak stomach combined efforts. "I can't…" Sweat beaded on his forehead. "Did he shoot himself in the head with one of Nick's guns because I was teasing him! Is he…dead?" he managed to ask before passing out.

"Carrie!" Nick screamed as he dropped the phone. "Catch…" But the warning came too late. Ryan hit the floor like a ton of bricks just as the operator answered.

"911, what's your emergency?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Soooo…Carrie's day of relaxation is off to a great start. I don't think Sean will ever trust Nick again if he says, "I promise no one will find out." And Wendy will have something to say about Aunt Carrie and Uncle Nicky as babysitters.

The last scene of Greg and Tawny at the piano (segued from Hodges accepting the fairy tale was over) showed a slight turn for the couple toward a more rational and mature outlook. Tawny admitting Greg was right about not rushing…Greg quoting his father's advice…both of them acknowledging that there will be rough patches ahead. Tawny also showed she knows her future husband well…she cited he had an issue thinking he sucked at something when he's not naturally great at it and she knew how to push gently and build up his confidence at the piano.

All the couples moved a little closer after witnessing the Hodges and Celeste train wreck. Are Hodges and Celeste done? Definitely for a while, but maybe there will be hope in the future. As all the other characters have found out already, it takes effort and sometimes big change to make things work.

The teens continue with their struggles. I hope those who wanted to see a Lindsay blog, enjoyed it. The latest Blake Boy drama will cause some change. When Sean wakes up, he'll be a new man.

**Next Chapter:** The drama continues at Nick and Carrie's…when Wendy has to rush to the ER, Cath & Warrick babysit Ashley and McKenna and experience what it would be like to have small children together…Sara shows up to take Carrie to the spa and finds an ambulance…Mike's lawyer gets an update…and in carefree California, it's shopping time! **Posting:** Monday (holiday weekend delay:-) )

If you have any questions about the story, this website has added a 'reply to review' feature that let's authors respond to reviewers who have left signed reviews.

On this (U.S.) Thanksgiving I just want to say THANK YOU for reading and your continued support of the saga! I'm very thankful for that!

**Maggs**


	37. Chapter 37

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 37**

**September 4, 2005  
****The Mandalay Bay  
****8:02 a.m. **

Lounging in bed writing a To Do list, Gil was looking forward to spending the day at his home tending to special projects and relaxing in comfortable surroundings.

"I'm really getting tired of not having all my stuff," Sara groaned as she searched the drawers for something comfortable to wear to the spa.

"It won't be long now," Gil informed her while removing his glasses. "The security firm is ahead of schedule. I'll inspect everything today and hopefully we'll be able to move back by mid-week."

Finally locating her navy blue yoga pants Sara tugged them on and smiled. "I feel a little guilty about being excited. I mean the only reason I'm going for this day of pampering with Carrie is that she's ready to implode from stress."

"She was so manic last night, for a moment I thought she was Greg's long lost twin sister."

"It's hard seeing her that way when she's usually so together." Sara grabbed a pair of flip flops from the closet and sat on the edge of the bed next to her husband so she was positioned for a little pre-departure affection. "I promised Nick I'd get Carrie to chill, and I'm determined to be successful."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****8:07 a.m**.

"Sean…come on!" Carrie yelled, hoping to rouse.

Believing there was no chance that Ryan sustained a neck or spinal injury, Nick said, "Sweetheart…let me switch places with you for a sec. I want you to move Ryan onto the bed so he's not in the path of the EMTs, and I'm not allowed to lift more than ten pounds."

"Sean's still not responding," Carrie simultaneously informed Nick and the 911 operator who insisted the phone call continue until the crew arrived. Then she did as requested, moving Ryan and quickly returning to Sean's side.

"I don't see any blood in Ryan's mouth, or chipped teeth." Nick carefully inspected Ryan's face, relieved nothing looked broken. "There's a pretty big welt on his cheek though. My workboots were over there and his face slammed into the one on its side." Leaving Ryan there Nick hustled to the bathroom, adrenaline and Vicodin eliminating any pain his body was experiencing. "I'm gonna get a cold compress for him."

Applying pressure to Sean's head wound Carrie told the operator. "I hear the sirens!" And when the woman permitted her to disconnect, Carrie pressed the end button and dialed Wendy. "Nicky! Meet the paramedics at the door!"

"I'm on it!" He rushed out of the bathroom leaving the sink running.

"Are the boys driving you crazy yet?" Wendy answered in a chipper tone. "I really appreciate you…"

"Wendy…" Carrie's tears came out of no where. "Don't panic…"

"Oh God." Wendy's tone transformed from cheery to terrified in a heartbeat. "Did something happen to one of my boys!"

"Sean tripped and hit his head. We don't think it's serious…but he's been out almost ten minutes and…"

"Call an ambulance!" The panicked mother and experienced nurse yelled, "Don't ever try to diagnose a head injury. Did you move him, Carrie? Please tell me you didn't move him."

"I didn't, and the ambulance is pulling up right now."

"Thank you. Now let me talk to Ryan," Wendy demanded. "If he was horsing around chasing Sean when this…"

"Wen…" Carrie took a deep breath and relayed the next bit of traumatizing news. "Ryan passed out when he saw the blood. I was tending to Sean and Nicky was calling the ambulance…we couldn't catch him in time. He's still out."

"Good Lord...I can't believe this! I need to get the girls and…oh God…just…just tell me which hospital."

"I'm really sorry, Sis," Carrie squeaked. "It all happened so fast."

**The Regent Beverly Wilshire  
****8:11 a.m. **

Rousing from sleep, Tawny felt the luxurious bedding against her warm skin. "Mmm…" Stretching, she recalled the previous day, which in hindsight seemed like a blur, but at the time had felt like it inched at a snail's pace. "Oh!" she shrieked while bolting up in bed and thrusting out her left hand.

"What's wrong!" Greg anxiously asked as he tried to get his bearings.

Seeing her engagement ring, Tawny relaxed against the sheets again. "It wasn't a dream. It was all so perfect, for a second there I thought it had to be a dream." When she glanced over and saw Greg's hair rivaling that of a porcupine, she teased, "Exactly how much hair gel did you use last night, Spike?"

"Tons, why?" As he went to snuggle her Tawny darted out of bed for the bathroom.

"Sorry! Gotta go!"

Catching a glimpse of his horrid appearance Greg burst out laughing. "Now I know why you asked about the hair gel." He tried to mat it down, but it was hopeless. "Yeah…this Pretty Woman scene must have ended up on the editing room floor, because I would have remembered, Edward waking up looking like crap and Vivian darting off to pee."

"And did you get a look at me!" Tawny yelled from the toilet. "I went to bed with my makeup on and it's all over my face. I look like a raccoon wearing a matted blonde wig!"

Continuing to jest, Greg shouted back, "Hey! Would ya finish peeing already, Princess! I can't wait to continue this fairy tale we're living with a sloppy morning-breath kiss!"

"Only if Prince Charming promises to fart and set the mood!"

Cracking up Greg tossed the covers. "I can already tell this is going to be one hell of a fun day."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****8:21 a.m**

Since it was Sunday, Nick's customary day off, as well as a holiday weekend when a lot of tenured cops weren't working, Nick didn't know the lead officer responding with the paramedics.

Even though she was shaken to the core, Carrie did recognize one of the officers who strolled in after the paramedics took over. "That's O'Hara," she whispered to Nick as he held her. "The rookie who mistook me for a prostitute that night after Sara's party when we were waiting for Greg outside of Brass's apartment."

Out of the corner of his eye Nick took a look. "Right…he was also partners with my buddy Carlos that night when the Peeping Tom thing happened to you at Wendy's."

"How are they doing?" Carrie nervously asked the two EMTs when she heard a moan.

"Ryan's coming around," EMT Sanborn calmly informed the worried aunt. "Ryan…can you hear me?"

"Vitals are fine over here," EMT Dawes announced. "Of course we won't know if there's anything else going on until they get a CT at the hospital." He expeditiously worked to ready the patient for transport. "I wouldn't worry too much, Ma'am. I have three sons and they've all met up with a table top at some point. These things usually look much scarier than they are."

"Thank you." It was just the news she needed to hear. "That makes me feel much better."

Meanwhile, Rookie O'Hara, along with his partner, Don Franco, stepped further into the bedroom while back up officers Antonio Morales and Karen Harnett milled about by the front door to shoo curious neighbors.

Eyeing the hugging couple suspiciously, Billy O'Hara pulled his partner to the corner of the bedroom. "I've run into these two twice before and both times it was freaky…just like this scene is freaky."

"How so?" Franco stared at the man and woman embracing and watching the EMTs work.

"The first time, they were getting it on in the backseat of a car on a downtown street. I thought she was a hooker until I found out he was her fiancé. She works for the prosecutor's office." Lowering his voice a little more Billy said, "Stokes, he's a CSI…you know how they are, and not only that, he's got one hell of a temper. I saw him beat the shit out of a teenage suspect's father when the man called Stokes's fiancée a bitch. Borrega and another CSI…big black guy…can't remember his name, had to restrain him. She acted all pissy about him losing it but as soon as we were pulling away she was shoving her tongue down his throat." Billy whispered, "Like it was some sorta kinky turn on for her and he did it to thrill her."

"Really?"

"Like I said…I had already caught them steaming windows. I've been keeping tabs on him ever since that night. Stokes is out on mandated medical because he snapped at a crime scene. These people are pretty freakin' strange if you ask me…and this incident…what the hell? Look pretty weird to me."

Franco's eyes darted around the bedroom and upon closer inspection he caught several things…women's lingerie in the unmade bed, a wet spot, and a small tube of lubricant peeking out from under a pillow. _Like it was some sorta kinky turn on for her._ His gaze darted to a pair of boy's briefs on the floor, which appeared wet from a substance other than urine.

Billy continued to voice his concern. "Did you see that living room? They were partying. There are open containers of alcohol in plain view. What kind of people leave that stuff around when kids are present?"

Next Franco looked at the bruise on the roused boy's cheek. The unconscious boys, both with head injuries, bristled him further. _Stokes…he's got one hell of a temper. _"I need a few questions answered," he announced after clearing his throat. "How did…" He checked his notes. "…Sean…end up wearing women's underwear?" He stared at the mute couple. "Is someone going to answer?" When he saw them exchange worried glances, Franco stepped forward and grabbed his radio. "I need back up in the apartment."

Carrie and Nick both glared at the officer and Nick said what they were both thinking. "Back up…why?"

"Ms. Blake, right?" When she nodded Franco pointed. "I'd like you to step into the kitchen with Officer O'Hara, thanks. Mr. Stokes, you stay with me."

"I'm not leaving my nephews!" Carrie blasted as she watched Sean being strapped to a backboard.

"Miss…" O'Hara took her arm. "I need you to comply with the officer's instructions or I'll have to take you into the station."

The lawyer in Carrie emerged full force. "On what grounds!"

"Aunt Carrie…" Ryan groggily spoke as his gripped the EMT's arm. "Why did…"

"That's it," Franco answered for his partner. "Suspicious Circs…we need to seal the area."

"Are you out of your god damn mind!" Nick snarled at the cop. "Do you have any idea who we are and what we do…she's a Sex Crimes Prosecutor and I'm a…"

"CSI," O'Hara quickly retorted. "I know. So let me ask you this…what would you say if you walked into an apartment where one young boy is only wearing women's underwear as he lay unconscious from blunt force trauma to the head, while another young boy is lying in a bed that contains sexy lingerie, a wet spot and a tube of lube…and that same boy has facial trauma? And what if when you arrived on the scene, you observed the couple in the apartment whispering and the woman looking guilty as sin?" Feeling full of himself O'Hara pointed to Carrie, "I don't know what you'd think, but to me it looks like she was getting it on with the boys and you weren't happy when you found them! It's no secret you have a temper when it comes to your woman, isn't that right, Stokes!"

Both stunned by the sickening implications Nick and Carrie fell speechless.

"Aunt Carrie…" Ryan cried out when he saw his brother on a backboard being lifted onto a stretcher. "Is Sean okay? What's going on? What happened?"

"I'm right here, Honey!" Snapping out of her shock, Carrie moved forward to go to him but was blocked by the officer. "I want to speak to my…"

"To the kitchen, Ms. Blake," Franco warned. "You're not to have contact."

Listening to Ryan beg for her, Carrie's blood finally reached its boiling point. "I told you when you got here, they're my **nephews**!" She watched helpless as the female backup officer went to comfort Ryan instead of her.

Franco callously shrugged, "Is that supposed to remove my suspicion? Hell, just last night I was called out to catch a daddy in the act with his daughter…some people prefer to keep things in the family in spite of the law."

Nick grabbed Carrie before she could smack the man and be charged with career-ending 'assaulting an officer'. "We know the truth…we know how this works… things will be cleared up in no time, okay?" In her ear he whispered, "Trust me…I know how awful it feels to be wrongly accused of something incomprehensible, but while you're waiting to be cleared, the best way to get in real trouble is to haul off."

Trembling she whispered back, "But, Nicky…of all things for me to be accused of…" Holding her gut she cringed. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Here…use this as a reminder to stay strong." Taking her hand he slipped the rubber band from his wrist onto hers. "Keep your cool, Sweetheart." Then, loud enough for the officers to hear Nick said, "Carrie…these super cop wannabes are itchy for a juicy bust and determined to think the worst of us. Don't let them get under your skin…you know what really happened here."

Carrie nodded as she inhaled sharply. "Okay, Nicky."

"Excellent." He blew out his tension in a jagged breath. "Okay, Boys…if this is a potential crime scene you better call it in. I'm chomping for it, because the evidence, when analyzed by a qualified Criminalist, is gonna tell a whole different story and when it does…my fiancée and I will be expecting apologies."

**Jim Brass's Apartment  
****8:41 a.m. **

Carrying Jim's ringing cell into the bathroom, Heather said, "Would you like me to answer while you wash off your shaving cream?"

"Please."

Smirking, Heather clicked the green button and answered in a sultry voice, "Jim Brass's phone." Covering the receiver, she relayed the message. "It's Paula, the weekend day shift secretary from the lab. She says it's urgent."

After drying his hands on a towel Jim grabbed the phone, "What's going on, Paula?"

When Heather saw Jim's jaw drop she knew he'd be bolting out the front door as soon as he was dressed. "I'll put your coffee in a travel mug," she stated before leaving the room. "And I'll give you a rain check on breakfast."

**The Regent Beverly Wilshire  
****8:46 a.m. **

In another homage to Pretty Woman, Greg and Tawny sat at the well appointed dining room table surrounded by every breakfast item on the hotel's menu.

"There's enough food here to feed an army," Greg remarked while lifting the last silver lid.

"Or me and the twins." Tawny picked up a pancake and started nibbling. "So…do you have any fantasies left that need fulfilling?"

"Hmm…" Grabbing the maple syrup, Greg ran down his mental list of fantasy accomplishments. "We knocked off quite a few over the past few days. Actually…I think last night's' naked fun with food', and 'high school limo lovefest' were the last of the old ones." Slicing up his pancakes he said, "Yep…now I can fully focus on the ones in your notebook."

"I can't wait to check off the engagement one when we get back to your parents' house."

"Where do you want to go shopping with Charlie's money, first?" In the envelope they had received at the desk the night before, was a note from Charlie detailing that his father made him use three thousand dollars from his trust fund to buy a prepaid Visa card for them to use as spending money during their stay. It was a peace offering to save face and smooth things over between the Dwyer and Sanders families, which Greg recognized was really hush money to keep him from saying anything at the club. "Here's a directory for the shops on Rodeo." He slid it towards her.

Without opening it, Tawny announced, "I know exactly where I want to shop. But before we go there, we need to stop someplace else first. But it's all a surprise."

**Sunrise Medical Center  
****8:51 a.m. **

After rushing McKenna and Ashley to Catherine and Warrick's house and pleading with them to babysit, Wendy hurried to the designated hospital to be with her boys.

Her angst intensifying, Wendy raced to the ER desk. "I'm Wendy Blake. I was told my boys Sean and Ryan were being brought here by ambulance."

The clerk at the desk smiled while waving to the security guard standing in front of the ER door. "This is Mrs. Blake."

The guard grabbed his radio. "Mrs. Blake is in the lobby."

"Can you give me any update on their conditions?" Wendy prodded, wishing she could just hold them tight and see they were okay.

The clerk just smiled.

"I said, can you please give me an update on…"

"Mrs. Blake?" a female voice called out.

When she turned, Wendy saw a male police officer and a woman dressed in a shabby suit. "Yes."

"I'm Liz Reynolds…the advocate assigned to your boys. They're both awake. Ryan is having some bloodwork done and Sean is on his way for a CT scan."

"Advocate?" Confused and frantic, nothing made sense.

"Ma'am…" The officer stepped closer. "Your boys have been placed under protective custody and I need you to come with me to answer some questions. Ms. Reynolds will ensure…"

"What the hell is going on!" Wendy screamed in the middle of the waiting area. "Where is my sister-in-law, Carrie Blake? Are she and Nick Stokes back there with my boys? Who is with my boys?" When Nick and Carrie hadn't answered their cell phones, she assumed they had turned them off for the ambulance rides and kept them off in the ER. "Can someone please tell me what's going on! Were they injured too? I don't understand what's going on!"

The cop quietly informed her, "Your sister-in-law and Mr. Stokes are being detained for questioning due to the suspicious nature of the injuries sustained by your boys and due to certain circumstances officers encountered at the apartment when responding to the 911 call. Mrs. Blake, please answer this question…did you give permission for your boys to stay at Ms. Blake's apartment?"

"Yes." The Kafkaesque moment knocking her for a loop Wendy gripped the counter. "I…I don't understand any of this. Are you saying? I can't grasp what you're saying. I just want to see my boys and know they're okay."

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to see or talk to them at this time," the officer responded. "We need some questions answered first."

Wendy's voice shrilled. "I'll answer anything you ask **after** I see my boys!"

"Ma'am…" The officer's tone softened for one last attempt at controlling the woman. "I promise Ms. Reynolds will keep in contact with me and provide frequent updates on your boys while I'm speaking with you in an office down the hall, but if you continue to cause a scene in the middle of the waiting room, I will remove you from the hospital premises and will not be at liberty to provide updates."

"Fine," Wendy despondently agreed, not seeing an alternative. Turning she grabbed a handful of tissues from the counter. "Let's do this as quickly as possible so I can see my boys. They have to be…" Choking on her tears she brought the tissues to her face. "…they have to be confused and scared, because I know I am."

Once the mother was quiet, the Child Advocate resumed her duties. "Mrs. Blake, would you please tell me the whereabouts of your other two children. Ryan told me he has two sisters, Ashley and McKenna."

**The Willows/Brown Household  
****9:04 a.m. **

"Check this out!" Catherine cheerily announced as she returned to the living room with an armful of flamboyant clothing, shoes and accessories. "McKenna…you and Lindsay can play dress up!"

"Yay!" the thrilled girl shrieked when she saw the colorful clothes and fancy shoes. "I love playing dress up!"

Lindsay's enthusiasm was somewhat less boisterous. "Great," she droned. "I was hoping you'd say that, Mother."

When the kitchen door swung open the ladies of all ages turned to see how Warrick was doing.

"Look who likes me," he announced while crossing the room cradling Ashley who was sucking on a sippy cup full of juice. "Apparently I'm a natural."

Breaking into a smile Catherine said, "Too bad you're spoken for, because I know a woman named Celeste who would love to marry you."

"Oh no…" Warrick took a seat with little Ashley. "I couldn't handle this as a permanent gig…not a kid this small. I prefer dealing with moody and difficult teens."

"How do I look?" asked McKenna as she stood in a pair of Catherine's sinful red heels, sporting a leopard print blouse.

While her mother and Warrick lied, Lindsay quipped, "You look ready for Fremont Street."

A ring of the doorbell halted the laughter and Catherine walked to get it with McKenna clomping beside her. "It's a cop," she said with surprise. "Ken Carter to be exact." When she opened the door, Catherine flashed her best smile. "You're a little early for the house warming party, or are you looking for a free cup of coffee?"

"Uh…" Ken nervously cleared his throat. "This is a little embarrassing, Cath."

"Hi, Officer!" McKenna waved and smiled before turning in a circle to show off her outfit. "Do I look ready for Fremont Street?"

"Kids! They hear everything." Catherine cracked up and stepped outside, leaving McKenna behind. "So…why re you here, Carter?"

"I'm uh…I was told to meet Child Protective Services here…they need to take McKenna and Ashley Blake into temporary custody."

"Yeah, okay…sure…" Catherine postured, "Over my dead body."

**Sunrise Medical Center  
****9:08 a.m. **

After thinking he had lost his brother forever, Ryan was never happier to see Sean than when the curtain separating ER cubicles was pulled back to reveal him. "Are you okay, Bro!"

"No." Still strapped to a backboard, Sean lie staring at the ceiling as tears poured from his eyes. "Why isn't mom here yet? And where are Aunt Carrie and Uncle Nick? Why did they just leave us here? I'm really scared, Ryan. How could they just leave us here?"

"Don't be scared." Ryan hoped out of bed even though he had been told to stay put. "There's this lady…she told me that Uncle Nick and Aunt Carrie had to stay at the apartment with the police to explain what happened." Grabbing his brother's hand, Ryan told him, "Mom is here, but she's not allowed to see us yet. I don't know why. If you ask me, everyone around here is acting real weird. But don't worry, Bro…I won't let anything happen to you."

"Okay." Sean gripped Ryan's hand. "Don't let go."

"Hi, boys." Liz Reynolds greeted in a sunny tone as if nothing was wrong. "Are you up for a few questions?"

"I'll be asking the questions," Ryan snapped. "Why can't my mother be here? Why are you here? What is going on? Why is everyone acting weird around us? Why wasn't Aunt Carrie allowed to come in the ambulance with us? Why did you tell the nurse to take my blood?"

"You fainted, Ryan," Liz answered. "They need to check your blood and see if there's a reason…like over consumption of alcohol for example."

"What! I've never drank alcohol in my life." Seeing Sean's tears Ryan blasted, "What is with you people! You obviously have my brother and I confused with some other patients. Did someone switch charts or something? Seriously! What gives, Lady! I fainted because I saw my brother's head gushing blood and I'm a wuss when it comes to seeing blood or puke."

"I need you to calm down, Ryan." Liz sweetly smiled. "Can I get you something to help you calm down? Some water? Juice?"

"A teddy bear would be great," he replied in a tone that rivaled the glucose level of the annoying woman's.

"Oh…okay, sure. I'll be right back with…"

"I wasn't serious!" Ryan screamed. "The only thing that will get me to calm down is sending my mother back here and leaving us alone."

Unable to wipe his tears because he was strapped to the backboard, Sean sobbed and said, "Ryan…what if we're really dead and this is hell?"

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****9:12 a.m. **

The instant Gil parked his Tahoe and Sara her sedan, they flew to the apartment door. "What the hell, Jim!" Gil snapped as he stepped under the yellow crime tape and saw his boss standing next to the couch. "You can't put a stop to this nonsense? This is insanity."

"Gil…hold that thought." Brass approached Sara. "I'm sorry, but because you work for Nick, you can't be here." Brass moved to the tape. "The call was for Gil only and, no, I can't put a stop to this because Nick's out on mandated leave for losing his cool, which is exactly what these bozos are accusing him of here. No…as disgusting and humiliating as it is, we need to let this play out and solve itself."

"I'm not here to work," Sara retorted. "I'm here for my friends. Where are they?"

"Carrie's in the kitchen, Nick's in the bedroom, but you can't cross the line and speak to either."

"How about hanging by the complex pool," Gil suggested and when Sara nodded, he mouthed 'patience'. Once his wife was gone he turned to Jim. "This is unbelievable."

"No shit." Jim stepped closer and heatedly whispered, "Unfortunately we've got two of our biggest nightmares in the bedroom with Nick and Detective Packer…an overzealous rookie, and a cop looking for a high profile bust that will help him bump up in rank. As bad luck would have it, they both seem to dislike CSIs due to previous negative case experiences, which translated means…one of you nailed their ass to the wall for mishandling something. This Detective…Packer…he just got promoted to the position, so he's not going out on a limb for me."

"Wonderful." Gil clutched his kit and headed for the bedroom, noting the disarray in the living room from the party last night.

"Gris…" Nick was thrilled to see him walk in. "I know it looks bad, but there's a logical explanation for everything."

Gil held up his hand. "I'll get to you in a minute, Nick." Then he turned to the officers. "What made you call this suspicious circs?"

As Franco went through the room and pointed out all the evidence, Nick sat on the edge of the bed staring at Brass.

"Are you in pain? Do you need to lie down?" Jim quietly asked when he saw Nick holding his left side.

"No…I need this nightmare to be over ASAP." Smoothing his hand over his torso, Nick said, "But thanks for asking…no, I'm not in physical pain."

As the officers recounted the details, Gil snapped photos of the evidence and silently empathized with Nick. Looking over the room, he also understood why the officers were suspicious. "Nick…tell me about the bed and the evidence in it first."

Hating the idea of discussing Carrie's sex life in front of the two male officers Nick made a request. "Due to the sensitive nature of the information I'd like the officers to leave. Detective Packer is more than enough of a police presence."

Packer nodded at his men. "You can wait out front."

Once they were gone, Nick cleared his throat and answered the question. "It's as simple as this…when Carrie and I woke this morning we were both in amorous moods. **I** took off her lingerie and left it in bed. The tube of warming gel will have **my** prints on it, and **I** used it exclusively on Carrie…it's nothin' kinky, you can buy it at Walgreens."

"So, that explains the fresh spot on the bed." Grissom stepped closer, hoping he wouldn't have to swab it, but if it did, he decided he'd ask Nick to leave."

"And Gris…since I'm still recovering from surgery and restricted from sexual activity, you won't find any evidence of my…" He glanced over at Packer to finish his statement. "…**or any other male's **output in that bed…it's exclusively Carrie and the gel. The boys were not present in the bedroom at any time Carrie and I were being intimate. I checked on them before we got started and found them asleep. I locked the door before engaging in a legal and mutually consensual sexual activity with my fiancée so they wouldn't walk in and see something they shouldn't. After we were done, Carrie started the shower, I opened the door to check on the boys again and found them still asleep. Once I was showered and dressed, I opened the door again and saw Ryan was awake and Sean still asleep."

Gil, Jim and the detective exchanged looks and then Gil quizzed, "Why is there a pair of soiled boy's briefs on the bedroom floor?"

Very calmly, Nick explained, "Last night the boys slept in the living room…Sean on the couch, Ryan on the loveseat. When Sean woke up this morning, he was panicked. I didn't know what was wrong, and he wasn't sayin' anything. Carrie took Ryan to get bagels and when I was alone with Sean he eventually admitted he had his first wet dream and didn't know what to do. He was embarrassed it happened on Carrie's sheets and couch."

Grissom held up his hand. "So, if I were to analyze the bedding on the couch I'd find evidence of…"

"Yes." Nick gingerly shifted on the bed and resumed. "I told him I'd get a garbage bag from the kitchen, pack up the bedding and wash it later when Carrie was gone for the day. Then I told him to head to the bedroom and grab a pair of fresh underwear from the dresser." Nick pointed to the floor. "He must have dropped his briefs and went searching. Unfortunately, he found Carrie's Jockey tighty whities that she wears sometimes. They look boyish…I can see why he was confused."

The detective cut in. "So that's why he was wearing your fiancée's underwear when the EMTs got here?"

"Yes," he curtly replied while biting his tongue not to snap at the guy.

"So how did the head injury happen?" Jim prodded, trying to wrap things up.

"Carrie came back for the keys to my Xterra because she had a flat. She thought I was in here. When she opened the door she saw Sean pulling on her underwear, and as you can imagine…was a little freaked out."

Grissom cringed as he imagined Sean's reaction in that moment.

"Carrie said Sean tried to run to the bathroom but tripped when the underwear fell to his ankles. That's when he smacked his head on the nightstand." He watched Grissom walk the path that Sean had taken.

"Jesus…" Packer stuffed his hands in his pockets and flippantly said, "That had to be humiliating for a boy on the day he creams his shorts the first time."

Brass wasted no time retorting, "Yeah…about as humiliating as a woman who was sexually abused as a kid who's spent her adult life prosecuting sex offenders, getting accused of being hot and heavy with not one, but **two** of her nephews. But I suppose you'll say 'Life's a bitch'."

In that moment Nick worshipped his Best Man a little bit more.

"My boys were doing their job," Packer unapologetically stated while taking a step toward Brass.

"I think your boys were trying to do **my **job," Grissom remarked while inspecting the point of contact on the nightstand. "And they're not very good at it." Standing up he added, "And they're not always very good at their own jobs either. Did you know that Detective Packer?" Pointing toward the door where the officers had gone through minutes earlier Grissom said, "State vs. Tisdale…his first week on the job, your boy O'Hara put his own prints on the murder weapon because he wanted to 'check it out because it looked really cool'. State vs. Preminger…six years ago, your boy Franco conducted an illegal search and Preminger got to walk of court. Two days after that, Preminger raped a sixteen year old girl."

"I didn't know either of those things," Parker admitted.

Staring at the Detective Grissom sighed, "I make it my business to know everything about your boys...and Vartann's boys…girls too…everyone in LVPD really. If you want to have lunch some time I'll be more than happy to go over the top fifty blunders made so far this year."

Brass and Nick remained quiet, expertly hiding their joy.

**Cleo Jewelers  
****Los Angeles, CA  
****9:31 a.m. **

Standing in front of the wedding ring display, Greg quizzed his unpredictable fiancée, "You want to do **what!**"

"Pleeeeeeease," Tawny begged while squeezing Greg's hand. "The lady opened the store a half hour early just for us when the Manager of the Regent called her. We can't back out now…it would be rude."

"What if it's bad luck?"

"Oh, come on…first of all…you've had plenty of bad luck for no apparent reason. Secondly…it's not bad luck!"

Testing for hypocrisy Greg asked, "So, you'll be letting me see you in your dress before the wedding then?"

"No!"

"A ha!"

"Not so fast…" Tawny shook her head. "I won't let you see me but it has nothing to do with superstition." Wrapping her arms around his waist she cooed, "I don't want you to see me in it so when you do see me at the ceremony, you're amazed. I want to see your eyes light up and your jaw drop." She ended her explanation with a tender kiss. "Now will you say yes to buying our wedding rings and wearing them while we shop for maternity clothes! Please…won't you make an honest woman in front of the sales clerks and other snooty moms-to-be?"

He answered by sighing and waving to the sales clerk. "We need to purchase two wedding bands."

Tawny assaulted her man with kisses in between declarations. "I love you! I love you! I love you!"

"I'd say she's ready for a trip to the altar," Belinda McGee, a fifty-two year old gregarious saleswomen with bobbed silver hair and a warm smile announced as she opened the case the eager couple was standing in front of while they smooched. "From the way you're kissing her, I'd say you're ready too, young man."

"Absolutely." Greg slapped his hand on the counter. "Sign me up."

Gushing with excitement Tawny said, "I'd like them to match, but I need something that will compliment my engagement ring." She waved her left hand. "And Greg needs something that will hold up on the job." With pride she told the saleswoman, "He's a Forensic Scientist…like the guys on those TV shows who solve creepy crimes."

"Really?" Belinda loved working the wedding section just for this reason…the overflowing happiness of the bride and grooms to be. "I love those shows. Although sometimes I think they're a tad unrealistic."

"You've got that right." Greg cracked up. "Those posers get at least five things wrong every episode."

Belinda laughed along. "I always think it's hilarious that the women are wearing high heels and low cut shirts on the job…as if that's practical when you're on your feet all day and crouching to inspect evidence."

"Actually…I work with someone who really does that. Don't ask me how but, she manages in those heels without a problem and the cleavage…I think it helps her on the job, because the cops are way more willing to do stuff for her than me."

**The Willows/Brown Household  
****9:38 a.m. **

After sweet talking Officer Carter into convincing Protective Services to allow the girls to remain in the house while he guards the door, Catherine quickly ended the unintentional game of 'Hooker Dress Up'. "Who's hungry?"

"Shhh…" Warrick pointed to Ashley who hand fallen asleep. "Where should I put her down? On the…"

"Don't you dare let go of that kid." Catherine, who had several run-ins with CPS when her sister thought she was an unfit mother and wanted custody of Lindsay, knew better than to take chances. "That's all we need with CPS outside…her rolling off the couch or being accidentally stepped on while sleeping on the floor. You just hold her and smile in case they look through the windows."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****9:44 a.m. **

Sitting alone in the kitchen, Carrie stared out the window and wondered what was happening beyond its glass. Was Sean okay? Was Ryan? Had Wendy made it to the hospital safely? Where were the girls?

Thought after troublesome thought raced through her mind as time stood still, but she was grateful her questioning was over and that Officer Harnett had gone easy on her out of professional courtesy. During two of her trials, Carrie had called Karen Harnett to the stand as the arresting officer. In private and off the record, Karen had told her she thought this was all bullshit and she always thought Franco and O'Hara assholes.

"Darlin'!" Nick anxiously called out on his way to the kitchen. "Are you okay in there!"

Carrie bolted from the chair. "Nicky!" When rushing the door, she never considered the possibility that Nick would be doing the same…and with twice the force.

The thud from the edge of the door slamming into Carrie's face sent a shiver through Nick's body. "Sweetheart!" When he saw her down on the kitchen floor he yelled, "Jim! I need your help!" Carefully he lowered himself beside her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…yeah…just a little stunned." When Carrie pulled herself to sitting she felt a blood drip. "Uh oh."

"What the hell happened now!" Jim shouted when he saw blood dripping from a cut above Carrie's left eye.

When Nick turned to explain it to Jim, he saw Detective Parker shaking his head and felt compelled to explain. "I swear...it was an accident."

Parker's eyes darted around the apartment. "Stokes, if I were you…I'd consider getting a priest in here to perform an exorcism…this much shit doesn't happen to people without some kind of supernatural force at work."

**Ely State Prison  
****9:49 a.m. **

Alone in a room with his lawyer, Mike enjoyed a brief reprieve from his Holier than Thou act. Flipping through the pages of the latest issue of Penthouse, which his top notch attorney had brought as a treat, Mike said, "You want to tell me about that shit-eating grin you're wearing, Schultzy?"

"You ever work with Sofia Curtis during your time with LVPD?"

With his eyes glued on the magazine Mike answered, "A couple of times. She flirted with me, I reciprocated, but she shot me down when I asked her out. Said something about not dating muscleheads anymore. She wasn't my type anyway…too assertive…I like them needy and desperate for affection." Finally he lowered the magazine. "Why?" He laughed, "Does she want to be my prison pen pal? Do ex-cops behind bars do it for her?"

"I don't know if ex-cops behind bars do it for her but guess who did for a while?"

"Gil?"

Schultz laughed, "You really do have a strange imagination." He tossed a picture of Nick Stokes on the table. "I have witnesses."

"Wow…" Mike's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Stokes had sex with a chick…that's shocking." He rolled his eyes. "Big deal…it's not like he was her supervisor. Too bad he wasn't though, because we all know lustin' over your boss is baaaaaaaad news. That is unless you need someone to cover up your DUI or your mishandling of critical evidence…then it's handy…to a guy building a case against the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Isn't that right, Schultzy?"

"Yes, indeed." He pointed to the photo. "But, Lover Boy didn't just have sex with Blondie…he had sex with Blondie and Red, and they paid Red for the privilege. Not really flattering for two Criminalists, one of whom is also a quality control officer."

"Huh? Why would Slick have to pay for that experience, when he would have had plenty of volunteers?"

"Okay…technically, they didn't pay for **the sex**, they paid her cab fare. While Stokes was in the shower, Blondie told Red thanks for coming and directed her to take a twenty from her wallet, which was in her purse by the front door." After a chuckle he said, "But Red told our PI that working in loud strip clubs has damaged her hearing. At the time, she thought Blondie said take **all **the twenties in her wallet. She only realized differently when Stokes confronted her at Sonny's the next day. She told him Blondie could press charges if she wanted to, but she wasn't giving the cash back. Since it would have looked bad for two LVPD co-workers to take the sleazy stripper they banged to small claims court to get the eighty bucks back…Lover Boy declined on Blondie's behalf. Red said the two of them never showed up at Sonny's again."

Clapping, Mike rejoiced, "I really like this chick."

"You'll love her even more in a minute." Schultz continued, "When Red leaves the apartment, she's got a handful of cash and Blondie's neighbor, who has been doing a Mrs. Kravitz impression since the horny trio arrived, believes Red was paid to make the loud noises coming from Blondie's apartment. You know…people are always willing to believe the worst of people when things look bad. Anyway, our guy Mantello spoke with Red personally and has verified the tramp will say anything for the right price." Cackling, he added, "And even though he likes to get a little kinky in the bedroom from time to time…we both know Dudley Do Right isn't going to engage in a bidding war with us to pay off a witness, not even to save his own ass or keep yours behind bars."

"So, Red is ours!" Mike cheered.

"And Mrs. Kravitz too, because she hates Blondie. The beautiful part there is, she's not even lying…she's believes the story her eyes told her." Reclining in his chair Schultz grinned, "That's why my daddy always said not to bring the naughty ones home. Blondie and Stokes should have driven to The Bunny Ranch to scratch their itch...but lucky for us, they didn't."

His hands pressed to his chest Mike grinned. "And here I go fallin' a little deeper in love with ya."

**Glow  
****Beverly Hills, CA  
****10:02 a.m. **

Hand in hand Tawny and Greg excitedly entered the posh maternity store.

"Welcome to Glow!" Suzi and Mira, the thirty-eight year old twins and owners of the shop, eagerly greeted the obvious first timers. They could always tell by the overwhelmed look in their eyes and the way they gripped each other's hands to the point of lost circulation.

Greg's eyes moved from one pregnant mannequin to another as he tried to envision Tawny looking thick with child. Meanwhile, Tawny was studying the bevy of blown up snapshots of happy **giant **babies filling the walls and panicked once again about carrying **two** around inside her and having to push their enormous heads out of her tiny body.

Fearing the newbies were about to bolt, Suzi stepped forward. "Here at Glow we believe the glowing mother-to-be and the proud father-to-be should be pampered." Taking the scared young lady's hand she led the couple to the plush lounge. "First time shopping for maternity clothes? How far along are you, Sweetie?"

"Uh…yeah," Greg answered on Tawny's behalf. "She's three months…with twins."

"Twins!" the owners shrieked, as did a customer who was six months along carrying a set herself.

"Perfect timing!" the fellow mother-to-be announced while patting the silent young lady's stomach. "Trust me…any day now you're going to pop and you won't stop until you push those babies out." Smoothing her hands over her profoundly protruding belly, she said, "I used to be a size two, but look at me now…I'm only three months ahead of you and I'm huuuuuuuge!" A few seconds later she was escorted away by Mira and sweetly told not to frighten the newbie.

"Greg…" Tawny twittered as she pulled him to a corner, "I want to go."

In her ear he whispered, "We can't…you heard that woman, you're going to pop any day now. You need clothes. Besides…" Squeezing her hand a little tighter Greg sheepishly admitted, "We just put our rings on and I wanted to play the part of your husband a little longer than two minutes."

Glancing down at the shiny titanium band on Greg's left ring finger and the matching platinum band complimenting her engagement ring, Tawny's anxiety eased. "Chilling!"

Grinning, Greg pecked Tawny's cheek and led her to the sales clerk. "We're ready now."

"Terrific!" Suzi patted one of the overstuffed pink velour arm chairs. "Come right over here and have a seat, **Dad**."

When Greg didn't budge Tawny nudged him. "She said have a seat."

"No…she said, have a seat, **Dad**." Greg tried to shake off the odd feeling. "It threw me…sorry." A few seconds later he did as requested.

"Okay, **Mom**!" Suzi bubbled with salesmanship verve. "Let's strap a fake belly on you and have some fun."

When Greg saw Tawny mouth the word 'mom' he pointed at his fiancée. "**See!** It's freaky!" Five minutes later, when Tawny emerged from the dressing room looking six months pregnant, he realized he had been grossly off base. "Whoa…now **that's **freaky." The vision of the future rocked him to the core.

Grinning from ear to ear Tawny put her hands on the fake belly. "I can't believe this is really going to happen to me."

Suzi motioned for Mira to keep the smelling salts handy just in case the expectant father took a header. "Isn't she darling in these rhinestone-studded jeans and pink sweater? You're going to make a beautiful mother-to-be, Mrs. Sanders."

"Oh!" Greg had never heard anyone but his mother referred to by that name. "Sorry." Not wanting to blow their cover as pretend spouses he explained, "I uh…just remembered that I…you know…"

"Sure." Suzi motioned to the understandably nervous customer. "Come stand behind your wife in front of the mirror."

"My…wife…right," Greg mumbled as he took the position.

"Arms around her…" Suzi instructed. "Perfect…now, hands on her belly. And, Mom…you relax back against his chest. There! You look adorable." When they were in position and standing gape mouthed she said, "Take a few minutes to get used to the feeling and I'll grab some relaxing decaffeinated iced tea and my digital camera to snap a photo for your scrapbook. Oh! And don't forget to turn sideways and check out that view as well."

When they turned in perfect harmony, Tawny gasped, "This is…"

"So cool," he whispered in Tawny's ear while gently running his palms over the belly. "It's like we jumped in a time machine." He pressed a little firmer. "I can't wait until we can feel them kick."

"Greg…it's a foam belly, it doesn't have special effects."

"No..." Laughing with her he said, "I can't wait to feel our **real** babies kick. I hope we're home together when it happens the first time."

"Me too." Seeing the reflection of their rings in the mirror, Tawny gulped, "Greg…I don't want to take the wedding bands off."

"I think it will look a little strange if we wear them before the wedding. I can just hear Nick…" He mocked his voice. "Sanders, will you **ever** do something in the proper order!"

"I mean…let's just skip the fancy wedding and get married right after we return to Vegas."

"What?" He turned her around so he could see her eyes.

"You heard them…I'm going to pop any day now. When your mom talked to the people at the Bellagio yesterday they said it would seven weeks before we could have a reception there." Her hands on the fake belly Tawny whispered, "I don't want to look super-sized in all our wedding photos.

"You just said last night that you were happy we didn't rush into the engagement and you were thrilled that I made it special." With the back of his hand he stroked her cheek. "I don't want you to regret not having the wedding of your dreams."

"What makes you think I won't?" she asked after a smile. "The wedding of my dreams was all about marrying the perfect guy. I'm serious, Greg…let's keep it small and have it as soon as possible. I'm so anxious to move into the next phase…being married, building our nest together. The thought of waiting seven weeks to do that seems like an eternity. If your proposal had been a ring in a muffin then maybe I'd still need the over the top wedding, but…" Placing her hands on Greg's shoulders she lovingly said, "The proposal was beyond my wildest dreams…it was spectacular…you really made me feel like a princess, and it filled my need for a huge public declaration of our love. If it fulfill your needs too, then why not get your parents and our close friends together next weekend, have an intimate chapel ceremony with a little celebration afterwards, and then get on with our lives as 'Mr. and Mrs. Happily Ever After'?"

"You're really serious…unlike before I can see it in your eyes."

She flashed a brilliant smile when she saw the excitement building in his expression.

"Okay…but only on one condition."

"Which is?"

"You still get your dream dress." Grabbing his cell and the business card for the Regent's Manager, Greg jittered with excitement. "I'll ask our 'Beck and Call Guy' to find a place in LA that has your dream dress and then we'll get some seamstresses working overtime to fit you."

When she jumped from giddy anticipation, Tawny saw her belly bopping around and it pumped her excitement. "Yes! By this time next week we'll be married!"

"Uh…Princess." Greg pointed to the puzzled sales clerk. "You just blew our cover."

"Oops." She covered her mouth. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."

**Sunrise Medical Center  
****10:17 a.m. **

Sitting in a chair next to Sean's bed, Liz Reynolds smiled at Ryan who was standing by his brother's side clutching his hand. "It's quite obvious you care very deeply about your brother."

Staring down the woman, Ryan retorted, "And it's quite obvious you're dense, because no matter how nice you are to me, you're still going to be the nasty lady who won't let my brother see his mother when he's petrified."

"Do you like going to your Aunt's house for visits?" she asked, ignoring the personal attack.

"Of course, we do," Ryan answered for both of them. "She's really cool, and Nick's the best uncle a guy wish for."

"Sean…can you answer for yourself, please."

Sniffling, he said, "Y…yes. It's always fun."

"What makes it fun?"

Hoping compliance would gain him access to his mother Sean answered, "We're allowed to do things we don't get to do at home."

"Such as?"

"Don't tell her anything, Sean!" Ryan urged while leaning over the bed to look at his brother who was still restrained from movement. "It's just like on TV…you're not supposed to speak unless your lawyer's present…and you know you always say the wrong things."

"I know you don't believe me, Ryan, but…" Liz spoke as tenderly as possible. "I'm here to help you and your brother. I'm someone you can trust to protect your best interests."

"How can you say that when you're keeping my mother away from me and my brother when we desperately need her!" Ryan blasted.

"I want to confess!" Sean cried out.

"She's not a priest and you're not Catholic, Bro. Keep your trap shut!"

Sure that if he told the truth he wouldn't be punished anymore Sean blurted, "We watched naked movies when I knew we shouldn't and then I had sinful dreams! That's why I…"

"Stop talking, Sean!" Ryan warned.

"Did you watch the naked movies at your aunt's apartment?" Liz asked, bypassing the headstrong brother for the weak. When she heard him squeak 'yes' she continued, "Who did you watch the movies with, Sean? Where was your aunt at the time?"

"Sean! I will **never** talk to you again if you say another word to this woman! Do you understand me! **Never! **I won't be your brother anymore!" Having watched enough TV to finally figure out what was happening, and realizing his brother might keep crumbling even with the hopefully persuasive threat looming over him, Ryan opted for a diversionary tactic. Without another word, he raced from ER cubicle, dashed out the ambulance bay doors, and ran as if he were heading for the end zone in the Super Bowl.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

This chapter should have had a different feel than the humorous/light ones of late. Although Greg and Tawny were there for a stress break.

Mike's lawyer summed up the theme in one line: **You know…people are always willing to believe the worst of people when things look bad. **So true, and it's exactly what Mike and Schultzy are banking on. Now it should be crystal clear that Mantello is indeed a member of Mike's team. A little reminder in the chappie that Mike has not forgotten Sara's DUI or the GHB incident either.

Another reminder…Grissom has a pretty good memory too, as he recalled the previous blunders by both cops on the scene at NC's. I really liked writing Grissom in that scene…he's emotional upon arrival, but turns all business and non-biased once he enters the bedroom, and yet he manages to find a way to jab the cops in retaliation for jumping to false conclusions without looking like it's in retaliation. I hope you enjoyed him there too.

Nicky showed he took both Carrie and Brass seriously when they lectured him in the hospital. He didn't lose it when the cops were accusing Carrie. He was actually the one holding her together and he handed off the rubber band to show he was in control.

Then there's Cath… "Yeah, sure…over my dead body." That's just how I love writing her. She's waaaay too experienced (and bitter) about her own dealings with CPS so she's not going to hand over the kids…and she uses her charisma to get what she wants from the officer.

The theme of _looks bad but isn't _is introduced here with the scene at NC's apartment. It comes up again when we learn that the stripper Nick and Sofia 'paid' really wasn't a prostitute and it was cab fare they were giving her. The theme will be seen again in the future ;-).

**Next Chapter:** The cops and CPS scramble when it's learned that they lost one of the kids in their protective custody; Grissom works to prove the cops suspicions wrong; Greg and Tawny return to the Sanders home with some news; and more. **Posting:** Thursday

**Thanks for reading!  
****Maggs**


	38. Chapter 38

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 38**

**September 4, 2005  
****Sunrise Medical Center  
****10:21 a.m. **

Sitting alone in a small conference room while Officer Salinas stood outside the closed door talking on his radio, Wendy pulled out her cell phone and tried Paul once more. Much as she suspected, it went straight to voicemail, indicating he was still in flight. Desperate for an ally, she smacked the phone on the table in frustration.

Unfortunately for Wendy, being alone and distrusted was not a foreign concept to her. Aside from worrying about the present, it also took her back to the past.

"_Mom…you have to believe me!" Wendy pressed while her mother continued baking her deceased sister's favorite baked treats. "Mike isn't who you think he is. He told me himself…he pushed her off…" _

"_Don't say another word!" the distressed mother screamed. "Losing your sister this week has been horrific enough. I won't let you defile her memory by insinuating her relationship with Michael was built on a lie. The poor boy can barely speak, he's so devastated. He and Samantha were planning to marry after college…they dreamed of a future together…of children. It's all gone now and that young man is fraught with guilt because he wasn't able to catch Samantha as she slipped over the edge of the cliff." Her eyes narrowing to a lethal gaze she spoke in a vicious tone, "Your sister is dead and you're still so jealous of her that you're willing to tarnish her reputation and cut my heart out in the process. I don't think I've ever been more disgusted by you and I think we both know that's saying a lot after what you did this year. Wendy…your sister was a straight A student while you bring home Cs. Why on Earth would I believe that you could figure out something she couldn't?" _

"_Because Samantha was **book smart**, Mother! When it came to guys she was always dense!" The smack of her mother's slap knocked Wendy off balance. _

"_And if she were alive to defend herself Samantha would say when it comes to guys you can't toss your clothes fast enough! You even had to take them off for that filthy calendar!" _

_Determined to make her mother see the truth Wendy pushed on, "That picture has nothing to do with…" _

_But Mrs. Hatcher raged louder, "If your sister were here, she'd say…that's right, all the guys want you, Wendy…except one, **Mike**, and that makes you so jealous of me you can't stand it!" _

"_Mother! Listen to me!" _

_Her disgust maximized, Mrs. Hatcher wiped her hands on a dust rag, turned her back and walked away. "Your jealousy has always been ridiculous... an upstanding young man like Michael would never want to be with a whore like you." _

_Her blood reaching its boiling point Wendy blasted back, "Your precious Michael didn't seem to have a problem being with me when he was raping me the night before he murdered Samantha!" _

"_You have fifteen minutes to pack your things and get out of this house!" _

"Mrs. Blake!" the Officer called a second time when the woman didn't snap out of her daze.

"Yes?" Wendy quickly returned to the present.

"I'm afraid there's a problem…"

"Sean!" She jumped to her feet.

"Sean's fine." The officer held out his hands to stop her from running. "It's Ryan…it seems he got agitated during the Advocate's interview and he took off…a nurse saw him run out of the hospital and we don't know where he is at the moment."

"Excuse me!" Wendy flashed from intimidated to outraged before the officer's eyes. "Did you just tell me that you **lost** my son while he was in the **protective **custody of the County?"

"I'm afraid so, ma'am." The officer shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "We have everyone looking for him, and I'm sure he'll be found ASAP."

Deciding Ryan was probably safely hiding somewhere secure, Wendy walked past the embarrassed officer. "I hope you don't have a problem with me guarding my remaining son…and if you do, tough."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****10:29 a.m. **

While they waited for Detective Packer to finish comparing notes with Karen Harnett, Jim and Grissom in the kitchen, Nick walked Carrie into the living room. "Don't sit on the couch, Sweetheart," he warned. "Because of the evidence."

"Right." Moving the small bag of ice off her brow, she glanced down at the rumpled sheets. "I feel so awful for yelling at him about my underwear now that I know he was on edge from…you know."

Nick took a seat in the overstuffed brown leather armchair and gently eased Carrie onto his lap. "Don't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure Wendy would have reacted the same way if she caught Sean pulling on her panties." Once she was situated, Nick took the ice pack from Carrie's hand and inspected her laceration. "I don't think it needs stitches. Your eyebrow hides most of the cut, but if you're worried about a scar we could…"

"No, I want the scar," she stated while the stress of the morning thrust her into a fit of jittery laughter. "Who wouldn't want a permanent reminder of such a glorious day? I mean it's not every day a woman gets accused of incest with her teenage nephews, right?" A distinct edge creeping into her voice Carrie posited, "I wonder if Hallmark makes a card for this kind of thing? What do you think, Nicky?"

"Uh …"

"Ooh! I bet Mike Rodgers would know, because he's their biggest customer. Maybe he'll send me a 'doesn't it suck to get unjustly accused' card when word of this humiliation gets out…because you know it will. I've only lived here six months but, I've come down hard on several screw-up cops…they'll be salivating over this…yeah…speaking of cards…I need to buy one for Celeste today…something along the lines of 'sorry my political diatribe led to the final downfall of your insta-marriage' because really if you think about it, Nicky…it all started with that asinine Pat Robertson question when I blasted Hodges for being a child-hating, Christmas bashing, Republican enigma." Her rate of speech notching upwards at an alarming rate Carrie rambled, "I'm sure Pat Robertson would say all of this is karmic punishment for our wicked ways…you being wicked for years, and me being new to the practice. Maybe the joke's on us after all…maybe we are cursed like the detective said…I'm really starting to think we are…my first clues were getting mugged in the park on Sunday and almost dying, and then you almost dying in a different incident on Monday." Staring at her fiancé she pondered aloud, "I wonder how much an exorcism costs? We would need to make sure the priest has never been accused of a sex crime."

"Sweetheart…" Nick was suddenly very concerned she was in the last leg of a full mental snap or her head injury was much worse than he thought.

"Ooh! I have a theory." With the demeanor of an energetic mental patient she relayed, "You and I were both accidental pregnancies…you were conceived after your father had a vasectomy and I was conceived after my mother was told she was sterile."

"Honey, please…you're scaring me."

"Don't you see!"

"I'm seeing plenty, Sweetheart." Nick tenderly placed his palm on her cheek. "How about taking a few deep breaths for me?"

"We weren't meant to be born, so there was no predetermined plan for us. We're extras! Consequently, the gods just use us for their amusement. They set us up with happy childhoods and then bam…throw a little sex abuse our way. Down the road weird crap keeps on happening to us…a death threat for me, a stalker for you, etc…etc…etc…then they decide it would really be fun if you and I hooked up." Her tone taking an angsty turn, she continued, "Our independent curses have combined into one enormous mega-curse destined to plague us until one or both of us loses our god damn minds, which is exactly what I think I'm doing right now!" Gripping her head Carrie screamed, "I can't believe I'm sitting in my apartment waiting to see if I'll be hauled into the station for molesting my nephews!" Jumping off Nick's lap she screamed toward the kitchen, "This is insanity! You get your asses out here right now! What could you possibly have to discuss! I'm innocent! How could you think for a minute that I'm not! I was at the hospital when those boys were born. I rocked them to sleep in my arms! How dare you accuse me of…" The sudden grip of Nick's arms around her from behind momentarily stopped her breath.

"I've got you," Nick assured his tormented soul mate as she trembled in his embrace. "Just let it out, Sweetheart." When she turned and burrowed her face in his chest sobbing, Nick clutched her tight and realized that although he had heard her cry many types of tears…but not once had her tears been fueled by the raw anguish he was hearing right now. "As soon as this is over…and it's gonna be soon, Sweetheart…we're going to the hospital to check on the boys and once we come back home, we'll lock the door, turn off the phones, and not leave the apartment for days, okay?"

Hearing the kitchen door open, Nick glanced over and connected with Grissom's eyes. "Please tell us this bullshit is over."

"It's over."

Cupping Carrie's soaked cheeks Nick smiled, "Did you hear that? It's over."

Her breathing out of control Carrie could only nod in acknowledgement.

Upon seeing the woman's distress the detective cautiously approached. "On behalf of my officers, I'd like to offer an apology. While the circumstances were suspicious, my men were over zealous in their approach, and O'Hara should not have tossed such a damaging accusation at you…for that I'm sorry."

Nick answered on Carrie's behalf, "She'd reply, but she's too busy trying to recover from being mortified, and Packer…if this becomes a locker room joke, you know I'll hear about it. Do us all a favor…tell your boys not to push their luck."

"Ditto," Brass interjected. "And while we're at it…" The ring of the house phone cut him off.

Not wanting to leave Carrie, Nick asked, "Gris…could you answer that for me, please?"

"Sure."

In silence, Packer and Harnett left the apartment, shutting the door behind them.

"Carrie…I know you're a little overwhelmed at the moment but…" Grissom crossed the room with the cordless phone. "It's Ryan...he's desperate to speak with you."

"Are you okay, Sweetie? We're finally finished answering questions here, so Nick and I will go to the hospital and see you in a few minutes." Trying to mask her distress, she asked, "How is your brother?"

"He was running at the mouth, Aunt Carrie! Telling the Advocate lady about the porn we watched last night. So I did the only thing I could think of to get them to stop asking questions…I ran away."

"You what!"

**The Sanders Home  
****11:09 a.m. **

"They're home already?" Scott said in surprise when he heard the garage door opening. Rising from his desk chair, he hurried out of the room to make sure everything was alright.

As soon as he stepped into the hall he saw Bev hurrying out of the sitting room. "I'm sure everything's fine," he assured his tense wife.

"Mom! Dad!" Greg's voice boomed from the kitchen.

"Something's wrong!" Bev knew by the tone in her son's voice. "What is it!" she pressed when she saw Greg holding Tawny's hand.

"We have something to tell you." Exchanging brilliant smiles with Tawny, Greg winked, signaling it was time to make their move.

With Bev and Scott standing and waiting, the gleeful couple slapped their left hands down on the island.

"Last night we took the limo to Vegas and got hitched," Greg boasted, and just as he imagined, his mother was devastated.

"You what!" Bev grabbed her son's hand and studied the band. Much to her disappointment, the ring was real. "You know how much I was looking forward to the wedding." Raising her gaze from the ring to Greg's eyes, she sadly said, "Why didn't you want us there?"

Scott placed his arm around Bev's shoulders. "Although I didn't think you needed a huge wedding, I have to agree with your mother…I'm really disappointed you didn't include us."

Chuckling, Tawny and Greg moved into phase two of the plan. In unison they tugged off the bands and placed them on the counter. "Just kidding!" Greg boomed. "But before you throw a dish at my head, Mother…hear me out." He could see the irritation building in their eyes. "Tawny and I decided we don't want the big fancy wedding after all…we want an intimate one…and we don't want to wait seven weeks, because Tawny will feel uncomfortable being so obviously pregnant." Taking his fiancée's hand, Greg pressed a kiss on to its back. "We want to get married this Saturday. Although you won't be planning a fancy wedding, you'll still get to see us get married. I hope you're less disappointed now."

Bev shot her son a look and groaned, "Yes, Gregory…your strategy to scare me first so I'd be grateful later, worked." She knew that he learned the tactic from her.

"Excellent!" Greg stepped around the counter to hug her.

"I think it's a wise choice," Scott told Tawny. "And here's what I'm going to do…whatever the budgetary difference is, I'm going to take the leftover money and start a house fund for you. I'll have my investor work with it and when there's enough for a decent downpayment, and I feel comfortable that you're both ready to accept the responsibility of home ownership…I'll turn it over."

Now it was Tawny's turn to bestow a hug. "Thank you!"

"Thanks, Dad." Then Greg pointed to his watch. "Tawny has an appointment at Bridal Elegance. Mom…I was hoping you'd want to go with her." When he saw Bev lunge for her keys and grab her future daughter-in-law's hand, he knew the answer was yes. "Have fun!"

**Pet Palace  
****11:14 a.m. **

Sitting in the puppy play area, Ryan felt his spirits lifting. He couldn't imagine a better hiding spot than the cheery pet shop, and when the owner had said he could sit and play with two Labradoodle puppies while he waited for his aunt and uncle, his smile finally returned.

"Ryan!" Carrie shouted when she saw her nephew.

While being assaulted with licks, Ryan answered, "I told you I was fine on the phone, Aunt Carrie. You can stop panicking now. How's Sean?"

"He's doing great, Sweetie." Carrie kissed the top of Ryan's head as she gently hugged him and the puppy. "Your mom is with him. Since his CT scan didn't show any damage they're going to release him any minute now."

In her ear Ryan whispered, "What about the other stuff? The questions the lady was asking?"

"That's over too, Honey. The lady and the cops are worried about their butts now since they lost you while you were in their protective custody." With an approving smile she said, "You did good…Sean didn't say another word once you yelled at him and left."

"Finally, the idiot listened to me!" Ryan snuggled the puppy closer. "What happened to your head?" He asked upon seeing the big band-aid over his aunt's brow.

"I ran into the door."

"Uh…that's like the fourth time you've done that."

She nodded, remembering the other times over the years. "Yeah…I'm thinking it's part of the curse."

"Huh?" Deciding his aunt looked very stressed, Ryan handed over the puppy. "Hug her for a while. It helps."

The pet shop owner walked over smiling, "Your nephew has been a good assistant. He was straightening my shelves so I rewarded him with a little puppy play time."

After ending his cell phone call to Wendy to report Ryan was with them, Nick tossed a grateful nod and a smile at the shop owner. "Thanks for lettin' him stay until we got here, ma'am. We really appreciate it."

"Nicky, look…" Carrie cuddled the puppy as it licked her face. "Isn't she the sweetest thing?"

Watching Carrie's tension melt before his eyes, Nick recalled one of their marathon phone conversations when she was still living in Seattle.

"_What about pets? Did you have any when you were growing up?" Nick asked as he reclined on the couch wishing Carrie was answering the inquiry in his arms. _

"_Sure did," she cheerily replied. "Only a couple of weeks into counseling, the therapist told my parents that the affection of a pet can do wonders helping someone recover from trauma. The next day they took me to the pet store and told me I could pick anything I wanted." _

_A smile flooded his face. "Let me guess…" _

"_Okay." _

"_Toad." _

"_No!" _

"_Just kiddin'…it had to be a puppy." _

"_Yep! I named her Glinda…after the good witch in the Wizard of Oz because it was on TV the night before and fresh in my head. She was the cutest little apricot poodle." _

"_Oh!" Nick's palm slapped his forehead. "No! Not a foofy poodle with a girly name! You're killin' me, Blake."_

"_You got something against poodle people, Stokes? See…yeah…I knew this was too good to be true. A deal breaker had to be coming. Well…it's been nice knowing you." _

"_Hey, now!" he laughingly protested. "I'll admit I always pictured a retriever in our future, because growing up I had this fantastic Yellow Labrador Retriever named Buck... but I'm willin' to compromise if you are. Surely we can meet half way." _

"_So…" she chuckled sweetly. "Exactly how often do you sit around dreaming of our retriever-containing future?"_

"_Way more than I'm willing to admit," he chuckled back. "Since I've only known you twelve days, and ten of those have been over the phone…I'm afraid you'll think I'm a stalker if I confess I've tried to picture what our children will look like. Shoot…did I just say that out loud?" _

"_Brown eyes are a given." _

_Shaking his head he couldn't believe how far gone he was. "You've thought about it too?"_

"_Guilty as charged." _

"Nicky…" Waving the puppy's paw Carrie said, "She's a Labradoodle, half Yellow Lab, half Poodle. How's that for meeting half way? When the time comes…could one of these will work?"

Studying Carrie's eyes Nick said, "Why wait? I'm home bound and that puppy isn't too big for me to lift while recovering. You're on sabbatical from work. It would be a perfect time to train it, and then it will be trained before we move to a new house."

The shop owner's ears perked when she realized a sale was at stake. "She's a steal at eleven hundred dollars and I'll throw in a ten pound bag of puppy food. I'll grab her papers so you can take a look at her pedigree."

"Really, Nicky!" Carrie bubbled with excitement as he approached grinning. "We can keep her!"

Ryan laughed at his aunt. "You so reminded me of McKenna just then."

Slipping one arm around Carrie while he scratched the puppy's head, Nick whispered, "I think this is just what we need, Sweetheart. A little more non-traditional therapy."

"I love you." Much to her nephew's chagrin, Carrie amorously kissed her fiancé.

"Blech…it's so gross watching oldies kiss," Ryan teased while picking up the remaining puppy. "Only teenagers should make out."

"Yeah?" Nick shot the boy a look. "How old were those people in the movie you were watching on the sly last night?"

"Oh…uh…I thought maybe you'd forget about that with all the other trauma going on."

"Not a chance." Nick moved toward the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your mother's orders were to bring you home for a family meeting. Your dad is on the way back from the airport too." Smiling he informed the busted boy, "Your late night porn sneaks are over, pal. When you asked me if you could order a movie don't tell me you thought I'd approve. And your poor brother…of course he exploded in his shorts after watching that stuff all night."

"Here are the puppy's papers." The shop owner handed over the small file. "She comes from a very reputable…"

"That's okay…I don't care about her pedigree." Nick pointed at Carrie giggling from puppy licks. "The only thing I needed to see was the grin on my fiancée's face."

**The Sanders Home  
****11:45 a.m. **

Taking a seat on the couch while his father popped in the video tape of the proposal, Greg chomped on his bottom lip. "How humiliating is it?"

"Just focus on the smile on Tawny's face and you won't care." Grabbing the remote, Scott plopped on the couch and chuckled, "Don't forget...Tawny and your mom made sure your friends back home got to see this last night."

"Yeah…I picked up the harassing voicemails this morning." Greg shuddered as he saw the video begin. "I can't even imagine the torture they're planning on my behalf."

**The Fitness Zone  
****12:09 p.m. **

If it weren't for a reminder call from Irving, Gil would have missed his personal training session and after hearing his next exercise activity, he really wished he hadn't answered the phone earlier. "You want me to lie on the floor holding your ankles while you loom above me?"

"You say that like it's an unpleasant thought." Irving clapped his hands and assumed his position. "Let's go, Bugman."

After dropping to the floor on his knees, Gil flopped over on his back. "What are you going to do to me when I'm holding onto your ankles?"

With a healthy dose of enthusiasm, Irving answered, "You're going to keep your lower back pressed into the floor while lifting your legs up towards me and when you do, I'm going to forcefully push them down, but you're going to use your abdominal strength to stop your legs right before they hit the floor. Then you'll do it all over again…and you'll keep doing it until you're spent."

Estimating if he could get up and run out the door before Irving caught him, Gil remarked, "Just what I was hoping you'd say."

"Do I have to get Sofia out here to piss you off and motivate you?"

"No…please…I'll comply." He did as asked and hated every second of it.

"Think washboard abs, Gil! Your wife will love running her fingers over yours." The health nut patted the perfect six-pack hidden under his t-shirt. "Most women do."

"Sara's not like most women…that's why I fell for her in the first place."

"I feel the same way about Sof." Irving sweetly remarked while pounding Gil's feet into the floor. "You can do better than that, Gil! Let's see some determination. Pretend a bug's life is on the line."

"Here's what will motivate me…if I do twenty of these you have to let me put one of my hissing cockroaches in your palm and let it crawl up your arm."

Shivering at the mention of the disgusting creature, but determined to get his client working hard, Irving nodded. "Forty and you've got yourself a deal. But if you lose…you and Sara are taking Sofia and me out to dinner."

"Deal…now would you please put the air conditioning on?" Gil asked after completing six of the tortuous exercises.

"It's blasting. That's called sweat…it's a good thing." Clapping he encouraged the fading man, "C'mon! I want to see you drenched!"

**The Blakes  
****12:20 p.m. **

With Ashley napping, and Sean on the living room couch being nursed by McKenna, Paul and Wendy went into the kitchen to finish their discussion which they recognized was becoming heated.

Opposed to his wife's thinking, Paul snapped, "There's not a chance in hell that I'm saying something to my sister about not watching the kids closely enough. What happened to Sean was an accident. Carrie wasn't irresponsible. Irresponsible is when you're a sixteen year old boy put in charge of your eight year old sister, but instead of watching her at swim lessons you leave her alone so you can make out with your girlfriend in the park down the street while the swim coach, unbeknownst you, seizes the opportunity to make time with your sister."

"You can't let your guilt-filled baggage influence your thinking, Paul!"

"It's not. It's providing honest perspective."

"She got drunk while she was babysitting our kids. She couldn't even drive McKenna home last night when she wanted to leave because a grown man stripped down to his underwear and freaked her out…" Clutching her throbbing head Wendy huffed, "…that's a whole other can of worms. We never had to worry about who Carrie had around before because she didn't have any friends, so I never thought to worry about that."

"Wendy…" Paul placed his hands on his wife's slumping shoulders. "After the week she had, Carrie needed a drink, not babysitting responsibilities. What were you thinking when you let the kids go over there with Nick just home from the hospital on pain pills and my sister barely holding it together? Did you bother to ask who else would be there? If there would be alcohol served? If there would be guests there you've never met? Be honest…didn't you just want a night off from dealing with them so you sent them packing when the opportunity presented itself?"

Her tears forming Wendy weakly replied, "Ryan and McKenna begged her and…you're right…I didn't think it though, I jumped at the opportunity when I know that Carrie can't say no to the kids…ugh...I'm guilty as charged." Wiping her tears, she collapsed into a kitchen chair. "I was exhausted from you being away all week…and cooking all day for the church banquet. Grabbing a napkin from the table she confessed, "I didn't want to deal with the boys or the conversation with Sean about sneaking late night soft core. I'm sorry…I was exhausted, and I took advantage of the situation."

Feeling guilty, he quietly replied, "I'm sorry for yelling, Honey." Paul pulled up a chair, sitting across from her. "Things will get better now that I won't be traveling. You won't have to rely on Carrie and Nick to help you…I'll be here seven days a week." Taking her hands he gave them a squeeze. "And you're not the only one who's been gratefully taking advantage of them…Nick's been pinch hitting for me as a dad for months now. Not that I would have enjoyed telling my boys about BJs but I should have been the one having that talk."

"We stink as parents," Wendy cried.

"Are you kidding?" Pulling her onto his lap Paul whispered, "I think we're above average, but we've got plenty of room to grow."

"It's all this puberty stuff…little kids with boo-boos and art projects I'm great at…sex talks with my sons…" She lowered her head. "Not so much."

"Mommy! Daddy!" McKenna burst into the kitchen. "Come see what Aunt Carrie has! Come see!" Then she darted away without further explanation.

In the living room, sitting on the edge of the sofa, Carrie was cuddling her new puppy as Sean, still dazed from the events of the morning, scratched behind its ears and remained silent.

"What's its name!" McKenna wondered while jumping up on the back of the couch to see better.

"Binda," Carrie answered through a smile.

Ryan was quick to provide an explanation to his siblings and his parents who just entered the room. "Uncle Nick's childhood pet was a Yellow Lab named Buck…"

"I can take it from there." Seeing his troubled sister happily cuddling her new puppy, Paul was reminded of the same scene twenty-two years ago and the relief he felt when he saw Carrie smile after thinking she'd never smile again. "Your aunt had a poodle named Glinda. The name is a blend of Buck and Glinda."

"So is the dog…" Carrie cheerily informed him. "It's a Labradoodle…half Yellow Lab, half Poodle. It's as though our childhood dogs produced a baby. That's why I named her after them. Isn't that the sweetest idea?"

Giving his whipped future brother-in-law a friendly slap on the back Paul teased, "Yeah…are you gonna tell the guys at work that cute little story, Nicky?"

"Not if I can help it," Nick groaned in a whisper while loving every minute of Carrie's giddiness. "In the car on the way over Ryan told me he heard on some kids sports show that Alfredo Binda was a famous Italian cyclist…Carrie's half Italian…I figure I'll lie and say he was associated with her family and the dog is named in honor of him."

"Good cover." Paul chuckled loudly. "Nick Stokes…proud owner of a **Labradoodle**. Yeah…they'll still be able to give you plenty of crap."

"Nah…I don't have to worry." Nick laughed in Carrie's direction. "Greg's Clay Aiken impression will be the talk of the lab after I play the video for everyone there."

Carrie joked back, "Yep, that will be a Lab-radoozy, Honey."

"Aunt Carrie…" Ryan looked at her with sympathy. "That's like the lamest joke ever…don't repeat it." Then, out of the blue, something dawned on him. "Hey!" he blurted while pointing to his brother's stitched head. "I just realized the coolest thing about your head wound, Bro!"

The group quieted to hear the answer they couldn't imagine.

"You're gonna look just like Harry Potter!" With his index finger he drew a lightning bolt on his own forehead. "Chicks will love that!"

**The Willows/Brown Household  
****12:37 p.m. **

Knocking on her mother's bedroom door, Lindsay said, "Are you dressed?"

Catherine answered by opening the door and modeling her outfit.

Upon seeing her mother, Lindsay continued, "I was thinking…"

"Uh oh." When her daughter's eyes rolled Catherine smiled. "Sorry…I meant to say…great! What about!"

"I thought it would be nice if we made something to bring over to Sean and his family because he got hurt."

"Oh…that really is a great idea." Catherine was pleased that her daughter's thoughts towards the geeky boy were turning kinder. "You make the card and I'll sign my name."

"Mom…I meant like food…comfort food…like brownies or something."

Glancing at her daughter in disbelief Catherine replied, "You want **me** to bake something and bring it to Betty Crocker's house? That would be like bringing my ant farm over to Grissom's for comparison."

Now it was Lindsay's turn to be stunned. "You have an ant farm?"

"Yes, I alternate between tending to it and my paper clip collection. Of course not!."

"Hilarious." Rolling her eyes at her domestically challenged mother Lindsay grumbled, "You never cook anything with me anymore. We didn't even make Christmas cookies together the past few years."

"Hello? I was working a triple homicide from Christmas Eve until Christmas Day because Santa brought a pissed off teenage boy a rifle and he decided to try it out on his family. **Perspective**, Linds…I got you eighty dollar jeans for Christmas, and you didn't strangle me with them. See…we have it good."

"I can't wait to tell Dr. Myers that tidbit."

**Bridal Elegance  
****12:49 p.m. **

Standing in the three-way mirror wearing her wedding dress while a seamstress worked quickly to measure her, Tawny reached out for her ringing cell phone that Bev was handing her. "Ooh! It's Dr, Myers returning my message." Excited to share her good news, Tawny clicked the green button and said, "Guess who's wearing the most gorgeous diamond ring in the world on her finger!"

"Jennifer Aniston?" Dr. Myers answered. "At least that's what I thought I read on the front cover of a tabloid when I was waiting to pay at the grocery store this morning."

"Well, I don't know about that but, the headline in San Marino today is 'local boy knocks girl off feet with spectacular wedding proposal'." Watching her joyous expression in the mirror Tawny explained, "It was more than I ever dreamed of and the ring is amazing too…just like Greg."

"Congratulations, Tawny. I'm very happy for both of you."

"I'm also calling because we're getting married at the Bellagio chapel this weekend and we'd love for you to attend since you helped make it all possible. I don't have the exact time yet because we're waiting for our best man and maid of honor to return our message."

**The Blakes  
****1:17 p.m. **

Nick and Carrie took a seat at the kitchen table with Wendy, Paul, Sean and Ryan. "Do you think Binda will be okay in the living room with McKenna watching her?" They had told McKenna they would pay her two dollars to baby-sit the sleeping puppy.

"New moms," Wendy teased before smiling at her sister-in-law. "I gave the babysitter a walkie-talkie." She held up the matching one. "I'm sure she'll alert us if there's a problem."

Nudging Nick, Ryan whispered, "I thought you bought her the dog so she'd chill out…looks to me like it's just another thing for her to worry about."

"Thanks for pointing that out now, genius." Nick gave the boy a gentle shove when he realized he was right.

"Okay…" Paul called the informal family meeting to order. "I've asked all of you here so we could get a few things out on the table. I believe you owe your aunt and Nick an apology, boys. You took advantage of their generosity last night when you ordered a movie you knew wasn't appropriate for your age. Let's hear it."

"Sorry," they said in perfect unison. Feeling guilty, Ryan added, "Sean did tell me that when Uncle Nick said I could order anything I wanted, it was implied that he meant not greater than PG-13…but I ignored him."

"But I didn't do anything to stop him," Sean confessed. "And then I watched it too. I'm just as guilty."

Nick quickly put them out of their misery. "Apology accepted."

"That goes for me too," Carrie assured her nephews. "But now that you have watched some of those movies, I hope you realize those scenarios…knowing someone for three minutes before ripping your clothes off and giving your body to a stranger, is the stuff sleazy movies are made of, and isn't fulfilling like the intimacy experienced in a loving relationship. I wouldn't have given Nicky the time of day if tried to bed me in the first ten minutes of meeting me."

Placing his hand on top of Carrie's Nick attempted to add some levity. "That would have been a little awkward on the steps of the courthouse, but seriously, boys…it was the furthest thing in my mind because I respected her and wanted to get to know her before taking such a serious step…as someone who did things the opposite way for a long time, I assure you it's much better when you know the person and love them."

Wendy glanced over at Paul. "They're a hell of a lot better at this than me."

"Because they're not the parents," he replied chuckling. "You just wait until they have kids…they'll freeze up."

Clearing his throat, Sean shyly asked, "Are we going to discuss the biology of it all next?"

Carrie quickly stood. "I think I've been away from my puppy long enough." Then she turned to her sister-in-law. "Maybe this is a good time to look for that puppy care book you thought you had."

Ryan pointed out, "But Aunt Carrie, you bought every book they had in the pet store."

"Do you really want your mom and I to stay when you're talking about…you know?"

The boy quickly changed his tune. "I bet my mom's book is the best. See ya!"

Once the room was estrogen-free, Nick got up from the table and headed for the fridge to grab some of the organic root beer Wendy always had on hand. "So, there I am thirteen years old and sound asleep in my room having this fantastic dream about Charlie's Angels…"

"Even Sabrina?" Paul quizzed, thrilled that Nick was taking the lead.

"Hell, yeah…she had a very sexy mind." He returned with four bottles of root beer and took a seat.

"Uncle Nick…" Having done the math Sean said, "Drew Barrymore was a child twenty-three years ago."

"Not those Angels…the original ones." Nick popped the top off his root beer and took a swig. "Anyway, who I was dreaming about isn't the point…the story has two purposes…one, to show you what happened to you today was totally normal, Sean…and it's happened to your Dad, brother and me…and it's bound to happen when you're thirteen and stay up all night watching naked chicks on TV and fall asleep at full mast."

"What's the other point of your story?" Ryan prodded, "Because I already knew that one."

Busting out laughing Nick said, "My second point is that you can recover from horrible embarrassment. So, there I am having this fantastic dream about Charlie's Angels…I hear them calling my name like sirens…they're all screaming 'Nicky! Nicky! Right now!' I hear Kelly specifically yell, 'Get up, Nicky' and in my dream I look down and verify that I've indeed followed her instructions."

"Oh, no…" Paul saw where the story was going and cringed in advance.

"Yeah." Clutching his root beer bottle Nick cut to the end of the tale. "I hear Kelly's voice whisper in my ear, "'Nicky…I've been waiting for you'…it's so real…I can feel her hot breath on my neck, right?" Shaking his head he shuddered at the memory. "I'm sound asleep getting it on with Kelly one minute and the next thing I know my sister Kendra is screaming because she had tossed the blankets off me to get my lazy ass out of bed for church. Let's just say her timing couldn't have been worse…little Nicky was peeking through the crack in my boxers and she witnessed it all."

The guys all lurched back in horror.

"Yeah…and when I woke up and figured out my sister just saw my plumbing in action, that wasn't even the worst part…the worst part was realizing it was **my sister's** voice I was hearing and her hot breath on my neck…not Kelly's."

"OH!" Paul and Ryan screamed while Sean's eyelids flapped open to an extreme.

Nick patted his chest. "As you can see, Sean…I'm still alive and believe it or not I managed to look my sister in the eyes…it took years but…" he laughed. "And I never watched Charlie's Angels again after that. To this day if I see a repeat I cringe." He clinked his bottle against Sean's. "Feel better?"

"Yes." A faint smile finally appeared on his face.

"I thought you might." Nick winked. "Now, I'll let your dad take it from here, 'cause I've got a puppy to raise with my future wife." Slapping Paul on the back before leaving, he said, "And you wondered why I wasn't too embarrassed about having a Labradoodle. Humiliation is relative, my brother."

"Relative!" Sean got the joke and cracked up. "I never thought I'd laugh again. Thanks, Uncle Nick."

In the doorway he opened his arms. "As my better half put it this morning…I exist solely to amuse others. And you know what? In times like these…I'm okay with that." Stepping into the living room he laughed at himself, "C'mon, Darlin'…let's take our little Labradoodle home! I can't wait to start living as a family." Then he realized she was on the phone. "Sorry."

In the receiver Tawny said, "Did Nick just say Labradoodle?"

"Nicky bought me a puppy!" Carrie gushed. "We named her Binda after Nicky's childhood dog Buck and my poodle Glinda."

"Yep…" Nick grabbed the phone and said, "As soon as Greg laughs his ass off about that, do me a favor and tell him I said at least I didn't have an ass named Mr. Peebles for a child comfort item."

"Mr. Peebles is coming to Vegas!" Tawny shrieked. "You'll get to meet him! He's really kinda cute…especially because Greg used to sleep with its ear in his mouth and it's worn down from all the drool…uh oh…he swore me to secrecy about that."

"Oops!" Nick rejoiced by making a fist with his left hand and pulling it toward him. "Yes! I'll definitely be using that in my best man's toast."

"That's why I called! We want to get married this Saturday. Will you be up to it?"

"You want to get married **this **Saturday!" Nick looked to Carrie. "How am I going to pull a bachelor party together that fast when I'm recovering from surgery and training a puppy?"

"Greg said this exactly…" Tawny cleared her throat and mocked his voice, "Tell him I don't need a wild bachelor party since the best dancer in the world thrills me nightly and if he was thinking about hooking me up with someone for one last thrill tell him my ex-fantasy girl already drugged me and had her way with me this week, so consider it handled."

"Okay, then." When he saw Carrie nodding like a maniac Nick responded, "Looks like we'll be heading to the chapel on Saturday." Tawny's shriek of joy nearly deafening him he yelled into the phone, "Tell Greg to call me later!"

**Wildfire Country Club  
****2:35 p.m. **

Dressed in the conservative khakis and the hunter green polo Tawny had bought for the occasion, Greg selected a driver and took position in their reserved slot on the driving range. "Remember…I haven't picked up a club since I left Stanford."

"I didn't know you golfed when you were at Stanford."

"Becca golfed so I took a bunch of lessons and…"

"Ah…say no more." Scott rejoiced for the hundredth time that his son was no longer under her spell.

"Okay…here goes nothing…and that's literal."

When Greg severely sliced the ball the anxious father bit his tongue not to offer advice. The last thing he wanted to do was start the afternoon off with his son getting pissed for trying to tell him how to improve. Instead, he opted for encouragement. "I'm sure the next one will be better."

It wasn't.

"Dad…" Greg turned and huffed out a sigh of disappointment. "I don't want to embarrass you out there, so how about you find someone else to..."

"No." Scott joined his frustrated son on the grass. "I don't know how you remember it but…all those fights we had over golf had nothing to do with me being embarrassed over your playing at the club. What happened every time was you would get upset because you couldn't play great, and I would get pissed because you wanted to quit because you weren't good. All I ever wanted was for you to do your best…even if that meant me yelling 'fore' on every hole. But you couldn't do that because you only liked doing things you excelled at easily…and you wouldn't let me show you because you couldn't stand everyone seeing that you needed help."

"I know…it's on my 'To Do' list of issues." Grabbing another ball from the bucket Greg remarked, "Kind of ironic that I left my easy job in the DNA lab to work in the field where I'm hardly a superstar." Placing the ball on the grass he said, "Dr. Myers asked me if I thought part of the reason it was important to me to do that was to prove something to you."

"What was your answer?" Scott didn't let on that he had considered a possible connection several times since learning of the decision.

After hitting another perfectly horrible slice Greg replied, "I said the same thing I say every time you come up…let's deal with my mommy-issues first."

"Why do you always say that?"

Facing his father Greg doled out a little honesty. "Because I suspected that a lot of my daddy-issues were because of my mommy…and after these past five days I know my suspicions were right. But Dad…I don't want to get into the details here…or on this trip. I need you to come to Vegas and see Dr. Myers with me…but I really don't want mom to know that's why you're coming to Vegas to see me. I know I'm asking you to lie to your wife but trust me…she's not always told you the truth when it comes to me so…I feel comfortable doing it this way and I hope you do too." He swallowed hard and waited impatiently for an answer.

After pondering the information for a couple of minutes Scott stepped forward. "You will have all that IKEA furniture to put together…and your mother can't get time off from school right after it begins this week. How would it look if your mother and I flew out for the wedding this weekend and I stayed on for the week to help you put that stuff together and coach you on your budget and so forth?"

"I think that sounds very believable. I'm sure mom will be thrilled to hear we'll be bonding some more." Of course he knew once she learned about his therapist-led confession, she'd be livid.

"Then that's what I'll say."

The two men stood eyeing each other cautiously until Greg assumed his golfing stance. "Enough about that…how about you show me what I'm doing wrong so I can work on getting better at this ridiculously frustrating game?"

"Really?" Scott said in shock since the area was full of people Greg knew.

"Really." Greg's heart raced as he waited for his father to approach.

"Uh…I think the major source of the problem is your grip." Coming behind his son Scott reached forward and gently maneuvered Greg's hands into a better position. "Try that and see what happens…then we'll talk about your stance and your swing."

After a deep breath, Greg took a shot. It was very short, but the slice was gone.

"Much better."

"I'll back up the course schedule if I hit them that short all day."

"We're playing with Robbie and Joyce…if you're feeling self-conscious about holding up the next group, you know your friends won't mind if you start driving from the tee but playing from my shot…a modified scramble."

"Okay, cool." Greg dropped another ball. "Now tell me what's wrong with my stance."

"Well…"

**The Mandalay Bay  
****2:49 p.m. **

Standing in the middle of the bedroom in shock Sara repeated her husband's words. "You thought it would be fun for us to have dinner with Irving and Sofia?"

"Yes." Gil collapsed on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "I definitely need a nap. Although…I'm afraid if I fall asleep I'll stiffen so severely I won't be able to get out of bed."

Still fixated on the dinner invite Sara glared at her husband. "You were scared of what Irving would do to you at your next session if you turned down his suggestion."

To quote Ryan Blake, 'Duh'." Gil quickly reminder her, "Your birthday is coming up in less than two weeks and I won't be able to make it very exciting if I'm in traction so…I'm doing this for you. We have bats to watch in Tahoe."

"And Scrabble to win!" Sara gloated in advance. The ring of her cell phone ended her boasting. "It's Tawny." Still grinning at Gil she answered the phone. "What's up?"

"My time as a single girl! Please say that you and Gil…my bridesmaid and stand-in father of the bride, are available on Saturday at four for my wedding."

"You and Greg decided to get married **this **Saturday?" Sara saw her husband bolt up. "Mr. and Ms. Manic couldn't wait, huh…as Jim would say…shocking! Did you check with Nick and Carrie already? Is Nick going to be up to it?"

"Yep! He said he could manage everything except, if Greg faints on the altar, someone else would have to scrap his pansy ass off the floor because he can't lift more than his Labradoodle puppy for another few weeks."

"Back up…did you say Nick has a Labradoodle puppy?"

"Uh huh…and wait until you hear what they named it and why…"

When she hung up the phone five minutes later, Sara stood at the edge of the bed, looming over her husband. "I want a dog for my birthday...not a puppy...a grown dog...from the pound."

"What?" Gil bolted up. "We've discussed this. We're bug people, Sara...not dog people."

Very calmly Sara patted her belly and informed her stunned husband, "Times...they are a changin'."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****2:52 p.m. **

"Binda!" Carrie sat on the floor of the living room teaching the puppy its name.

"Try this." Nick handed her a few of the savory meat-smelling treats the pet shop owner had sold them along with enough stuff to fill the hatch of the Xterra and run up his Visa bill.

Waving the snack Carrie tried again. "Binda!"

The puppy came bounding over tripping on its big sloppy feet.

"Good girl." Carrie scooped her up and fed her the snack.

"That reminds me." Nick patted his belly. "I'm starving.

Holding up a dog treat Carrie sweetly said, "Nicky."

"I'll come running any time you call me, Darlin'. You don't need the liver bite to bribe me." Easing himself onto the floor he snuggled with his family. "You still feeling cursed?"

"Yeah…" Glancing up she whispered, "But if being with you is a curse…then being damned never felt better."

"That's the same way I feel about you, Sweetheart." Brushing his lips over Carrie's, Nick jokingly asked, "Do you think it's wrong to smooch in front of the pooch?"

"She needs to know that mommy and daddy are happy."

"That we are." Slipping his hand behind Carrie's head Nick initiated a slow, drugging kiss.

And while her cursed 'mom and dad' were enjoying their smooch, the pooch jumped off Carrie's lap and blessed the living room rug.

The foul aroma filling the air finally reached Carrie's nose. "Oh!"

They tracked the stench to a steamy pile a foot away.

Pulling himself up Nick laughed, "Yeah…here's where the fun really begins…."

**The Blakes  
****4:10 p.m. **

When Wendy answered the door she was surprised to see Lindsay on the steps holding a plate of brownies.

"Hi, Mrs. Blake." Suddenly Lindsay's pulsed raced and her mouth and brain failed to connect. "I…um…well…actually…my Mom and I…and Warrick…we felt bad that Sean got hurt so…I…we…made him some brownies…which I'm sure won't be as good as yours but…"

"Come in, Sweetie." She waved her through the door. "Sean's on the couch reading. I'm sure he'll be thrilled about the brownies…and your visit."

"Really?" Recognizing that she sounded too excited, Lindsay quickly downplayed her enthusiasm. "It's not a big deal, I made the brownies from a box."

"Sean…" Wendy saw her son was cowering behind a magazine. "You have a special visitor bearing yummy treats."

Lindsay rolled her eyes at Betty Crocker's cheesy words. "My mom made me bring these over," she coolly informed him.

Unfortunately Lindsay's meddling mother appeared in the open doorway and much to her horror said, "Sorry I'm late…did you give him the brownies you insisted on making him, Linds?" Looking over at Wendy she went on, "She was looking recipes up on the Internet for an hour to find a good one and then we had to go to two stores to find the right ingredients."

In that moment, while Sean stared at her like a Dork in love, Lindsay was certain she'd be the first child of a CSI to commit murder. "Enjoy the brownies, Geek." She tossed the plate on the coffee table and bolted. "I hope your face doesn't heal too freaky."

With her daughter's dust trail was still fresh and Sean's grin goofier than ever, Catherine sighed, "Yep…it's official...it only gets worse from here…they're crazy about each other."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the move from the tense beginning to the lighter ending.

**Thanks for the reviews, I've used the auto reply function to respond. :-) **

**Next Chapter Posting:** Monday

**Important Note:** The next chapter (39) will be the last chapter of Book 1. It is Sunday in the story, and Book 2 will pick up on 'Wednesday' with some changes at the Lab. the gang getting ready for GT's wedding and more. During Book 2 there will be some jumps in time, it won't go day by day like Book 1 did. There will be a break until December 26th for the hectic holiday season (Among other things I'm coordinating a huge children's charity project – very B-PAC! LOL Nick and Sara would approve) and KJT and I need to gain at least a 3 chapter lead again. I hope you'll continue the journey with Book 2!

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!

Maggs


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: Sorry for the day's delay. There's no way to notify readers through the website or I would have. But it's an extra-long chappie for waiting **

**Laws of Motion – Book 1  
****Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT**

**Chapter 39**

**September 4, 2005  
****Wildfire Country Club  
****4:41 p.m. **

Stepping out of their golf cart to play the balls they had hit from the sixteenth tee, Scott continued to build Greg's confidence. "I think you have an excellent shot at making par on this one, Son." As he had been doing since the first hole, Scott selected the appropriate club for Greg. "Here you go."

"Thanks." He noted his father's choice of a five iron for the shot, absorbing the knowledge for future games. "I still can't believe that last drive." It was his furthest by fifty yards. "After fifteen holes, I think I'm finally relaxing."

"Stay that way." Luckily the group behind them was a bunch of chatty silver-haired ladies and they were taking their sweet time so Greg hadn't felt pressured to rush once all afternoon. "Remember what I said about the water hazard here on sixteen."

"Got it." Smiling, Greg addressed his ball, eager to succeed.

After parking their cart, Robbie and Joyce walked over and stood next to Scott.

"He might par," Scott proudly remarked as he watched Greg readying to swing.

"I'm much more impressed with the way you two have managed to get along for fifteen holes," Robbie joked.

Upon hearing Greg hit the ball the threesome watched the powerful shot arc to the right.

"Oh, shit!" Greg recoiled in horror. "I took out a duck!" Dropping his club he ran towards the water's edge where it collapsed. "Maybe it's only stunned!"

"I know I am," Joyce remarked in amazement. "One duck in the area and he nails it."

Shaking his head Scott lamented, "Just when I thought things were going well."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****5:17 p.m. **

When Nick returned from walking the puppy for the sixth time he announced to Carrie who was curled up on the couch relaxing with a sappy movie, "Unlike you, Darlin', Binda doesn't have issues peein' in the great outdoors." Bending down he clipped open her leash. "Isn't that right? Yeah…you made Daddy very proud in front of the neighbors. You're doin' great." When the hyper puppy reared up and licked his mouth, Nick laughed and gently pushed her in Carrie's direction. "Go give your mom a sloppy kiss 'cause she's still looking a little tense." He swore it looked like she had been crying while they were gone.

"Sorry," Carrie apologized for bringing him down. "You look like you don't have a care in world and I'm killing your good mood." Her eyes tracked the puppy dashing around the living room. "You were gone a while. Are you feeling okay after doing all that walking?"

"It's crazy considering the morning we had but, I feel great." After kicking off his Tevas Nick took a seat next to Carrie, and slipped his arm around her and tossed his feet on the coffee table. "Physically, I feel ten times better than yesterday. Mentally, it's like a ton has been lifted off my brain."

"I think it's because your mommy is on her way here," she teased while falling backwards until her head landed in her fiancé's lap. "You know she's going to be spoiling you rotten the rest of the week."

Tenderly stroking Carrie's hair Nick informed her, "I asked her to concentrate all her mothering on you. With my mom, Binda and me all loving you, I know you'll be back to your old self in no time."

As if on cue, Binda jumped on the couch, climbing onto Carrie's stomach where she lay down panting. "Aww…" Reaching out she scratched the puppy's head.

"Binda…" Nick copped an authoritative tone as he pointed to the floor. "No dogs on the furniture or beds."

"Since when is that a rule?" Carrie asked in surprise. "Glinda always snuggled on the couch with me and slept in my bed."

"Oh…" He stopped scowling at the puppy. "My parents never let our dogs anywhere but the floor. I just assumed we'd be doing the same."

"Uh oh…our first Stokes-Blake parenting conundrum."

"I have a feeling it won't be our last." Although they were both raised by conservative parents, they had learned during one of their marathon telephone discussions that the rules in their respective households were drastically different.

"This is good practice for when we have kids." Carrie snuggled Binda closer and gulped down her emotions. "We'll learn to compromise."

Seeing how content his burdened fiancée was while cuddling with the puppy Nick sweetly chuckled, "Yeah…there's no way in hell I'm gonna ask you to peel that pup out of your arms and stick him on the floor. And if you look this happy cradling a Labradoodle, I can only imagine how ecstatic you'll be one day holding our baby in your arms." This time he had no doubt tears were forming in her eyes. "Okay…fess up… what's going on?"

Since he had told her how physically and mentally sound he was feeling, Carrie decided she could finally dump her latest concern on Nick's shoulders. "Do you remember the day we were leaving for Flagstaff, when you were all worried about me being pregnant?"

"Yeah…uh." He gulped hard. "Are you about to tell me that test was wrong?"

"No…the test was right," she sniffled lightly while rhythmically stroking the now sleeping puppy's head. "I called my Gynecologist while you were in the burrito place that morning and made an appointment because I didn't want you keep worrying about the irregularity. I thought maybe I'd try a different pill that might help regulate my cycle better. I had the appointment Thursday while you were in the hospital. I didn't mention the appointment or the findings for obvious reasons…you were stressed enough."

Nick's heart rate lurched upward. "Are you…um…sick?" The thought of her mother dying of cancer assaulted his brain.

"No… I'm not sick." After a deep breath in, she pushed out the answer. "When the doctor did an ultrasound she confirmed that my right ovary is done…as in permanently. That's why I'm irregular, I'm not ovulating half the time. I'm not sick, I'm defective."

Breathing again, Nick said, "You had me scared to death for a minute there, Darlin'." After blowing out a deep breath he settled back against the couch. "Ovaries are like kidneys, you only need one. It's not really a problem."

"But that's what I'm worried about, Nicky. Sure, it's functioning now, but what if that one slows down or quits too? My mom had the same problem. That's why she wasn't expecting me eight years after Paul…my egg was a fluke." Seeing his pensive expression Carrie confessed, "I'm scared. Family is everything to you and to me. It's something we've discussed a million times. We both want to have four kids. Hell, we already named our first child. What if my body lets us down? I know this sounds silly but…it really hit me when we started parenting Binda today and I saw how happy it made you and how…"

"Hold up." He stopped stroking her hair. "You need to tell me ASAP that you understand whether or not we can have biological children together, has no bearing on us getting married…because if this stress is about you worrying I'd call it quits over this, I'll be very disappointed."

"It's not like that doesn't happen," she softly answered.

"Let me rephrase, Attorney Blake…would you call off the wedding if we found out **I **was sterile tomorrow?"

"No," she immediately answered as if the idea was insanity.

"Then how could you think I would?"

"I plead guilty to paranoia." A sigh tumbled out of her mouth. "Sorry."

"Forgiven." He resumed stroking her hair. "So, what are our options here? Anything aside from the obvious…me pulling a Sanders and getting you pregnant before the wedding?"

"You'd agree to do that?" she asked with her eyes locked on his.

"Darlin' there's very little I wouldn't do to make you happy. Of course I would, but ideally…I'd like us to be a little more stable first. I also want you to have the wedding of your dreams, so if there are alternatives, I'd like to hear them."

Nodding in agreement Carrie said, "There is an alternative…and thankfully we have the financial resources now not to worry about the price. The doctor referred me to a fertility clinic, suggesting that if I was really paranoid, I could have my eggs harvested and stored, in case we had to resort to In-Vitro Fertilization."

"Is harvesting them painful?"

"First I'd have to take hormones to produce multiple eggs…that has some physical and emotional side effects…one of which is irritability. Other than that, I'd be sedated for the procedure and uncomfortable for a day or two." Smiling Carrie said, "But I'm thinking that pain is very minor compared to actually birthing a baby so…."

Smiling, Nick said, "Don't worry about me, I put up with five sisters being simultaneously moody…I can cope with you being overly hormonal for a good cause. I promise I won't hold it against you either."

"Can I get that in writing?" she teased, feeling her load lighten now that her secret was out.

"How about you just look at the ring on your finger and know that I'm planning to say 'I do' for better or worse."

"Good enough." Moving her hand from the puppy, she placed her palm on Nick's cheek. "Thanks for being so supportive."

"Are you kidding? Thank **you** for wanting to be impregnated by me even after you've lived with me for a while and know my quirks."

They shared a laugh loud enough to wake the pup.

"Sorry, Binda," Carrie picked her up and placed her gently on the floor. "No dogs on the couch…when mommy wants to kiss daddy." Sitting up, she carefully straddled Nick's lap. "Am I hurting you?"

Loving her smile, Nick locked his arms around waist, pulling her closer still. "No, ma'am."

"Oh…I forgot to tell you that you'll have to be checked out too, because there's no point in me moving forward with an invasive procedure if there's something wrong with you. Once you're given the all clear from your surgeon to…M …which could be as early as your appointment on Tuesday, all you have to do is give a sample."

"Trust me, I can handle the challenge." Breaking into an easy laugh he assured, "I started M'ing at the age of twelve. The only new part will be aiming for the specimen jar."

After another round of laughter Carrie said, "I'm so glad I got all that off my chest. Carrying it around has been awful…especially last night with the Celeste and Hodges breakup over the baby issue."

"Ah ha! That's why you were so devastated. I thought it was odd that you would get that emotional over people you don't know." After stealing a kiss Nick continued, "Sweetheart, I don't care if it happens naturally, artificially or via adoption…we'll have our family. I'm not the least bit worried."

"Thank you." The last of her fear subsiding, Carrie lovingly whispered, "Now I'm not either." Their mouths slowly gravitated into a tender kiss that quickly brewed into a steamy one. "Mmm." Pulling away to catch her breath, Carrie joked, "If you weren't restricted I'd be thinking you were going for plan A…pull a Sanders and get me pregnant before the wedding."

"Mmm…no," he joked back. "I'm just having some fun…there's somethin' to be said for a good ol' fashioned make out session that leaves a guy stiff as a board with no hope of gettin' any real action. All this teasing makes me feel sixteen again. Go for it, Baby."

"Okay…but don't get carried away…doctor's orders…and I missed my last eight birth control pills."

He stopped in mid-pucker. "Why'd you do that?"

Gaping at him she groaned, "Gee…maybe because I was a little too preoccupied worrying about you dying to remember to take them last week. Then I got the ovary news from the doctor and didn't start up again, in case we decided to do the egg harvesting."

His smirk returning, Nick snickered, "Good thing we can't go all the way then, because I really would be pulling a Sanders…I didn't show up for this date with a condom."

Adjusting her position for maximum teasing Carrie upped her smooch's heat. "With the movie playing in the background it's like we're making out at the drive-in."

Loving her adorable grin Nick teased, "Exactly how many times did you make out at the drive-in, Darlin'?"

"I've never even been to one."

"That's what I thought." Lacing his fingers through Carrie's hair Nick initiated the next torturous round, this time passing first and heading boldly for second.

"Nicky…" Carrie warned when she felt his excitement building. "We need to stop."

"C'mon, Baby…just a little more. I feel fantastic." In her ear he persuasively whispered, "Besides…no one can see inside the car because the windows are steamed, and you don't have to be home for another hour."

Giggling like the school girl she now understood she was playing, Carrie replied, "Okay, Slick…but no further than second."

Ten minutes later Nick panted, "Holy hell, Blake! If you had dated guys in high school, you would have been a major tease. I would have called you Blue Balls Blake. Why are we stripped down to our underwear if we're stopping at second!"

Consumed by the need for a reality break, Carrie didn't bother answering the question and instead chose to intensify the passion building between them. "I missed you, Nicky," she murmured when the gap in his boxers brought him closer to her.

Bumping into the strip of delicate lace barely preventing a merge, Nick knew the session had to come to a close. "Carr…" But his words were cut off by her voracious kiss. "Carr, I…" he chuckled. "Seriously, this lap dance is awesome…it's worth at least a hundred bucks, but if you keep…"

"Shhh…in my club you can touch and kiss the dancer, but not talk to her," she playfully scolded before claiming his mouth again.

Grabbing her shoulders Nick half-laughed, half-gasped, "Darlin', if you keep moving like that, I won't be talking, I'll be…uh oh…" Strengthening his grip on Carrie, Nick's thoughts and words ceased.

"Oh!" she shrieked when she realized what he had been trying to tell her. "You…"

Upon recovery Nick informed his stunned fiancée, "Yeah…I pulled a Sanders **and** a Sean…I went further than I was supposed to **and** I need new underwear…so do you. Sorry about the mess, Sweetheart." Cracking up, he said, "But I tried to warn you."

"Are you okay?" Frantic, she gently pressed her palm over his scar. "Did you strain yourself?"

"There was no straining involved. It was a spontaneous eruption that required no effort on my part. After fooling around last night and this morning without payoff, he was tired of waiting…let's face it…he's not used to denial."

Overflowing with guilt Carrie chewed her bottom lip. "I'm so sorry!"

"Do I look **remotely **upset with you?" A grin exploded on Nick's face until he screamed and grabbed his side, "No!"

"Oh my God!" Carrie jumped off his lap running for the phone. "I'll call 911! But we have to change our underwear because knowing our luck we'll get the same cops and they'll think I'm a sick freak again if I'm covered in your…"

"Not me, the puppy!" Nick pointed to Binda. "I'm fine. She's chewing your shoe."

Clutching her head Carrie screamed, "She's chewing my Choo!"

"That's what I just said, Darlin'"

"No…my five hundred dollar Jimmy Choo black leather pump!" Carrie rushed over to rescue her kick-ass court shoe, but it was too late. "It's ruined."

"Someone's in the dog house now," Nick announced while pulling himself to standing. "Trust me, Binda…you don't ever want to mess with her shoes."

"Ugh…it's not her fault. I'm a terrible parent. Here I was fooling around when I should have been watching her." Holding up the chomped shoe she said, "What if she had been gnawing on an electrical cord? She could have died."

Grabbing the errant puppy Nick suggested, "How about we put her in her crate, grab a shower, and then puppy-proof the house? We shoulda done that first thing. After that, we'll crack open the puppy books and make sure we know everything we need to know."

"Okay." Sighing, Carrie followed Nick and the puppy into the bedroom. "There's just so much more to worry about now that I'm responsible for another life. I can't imagine how freaked Tawny will feel when she has the twins."

**The Sanders Home  
****5:45 p.m. **

Standing in front of the full length mirror in the guest room wearing one of her new maternity outfits, Tawny studied her appearance. Not having a fake belly on hand, she had stuffed a balled up towel under her sweater to duplicate the pregnancy effect. "Wow." Caught up in the excitement over her wedding dress and plans, she had forgotten all the fears she experienced at the maternity store, but now, in the quiet of the house gazing at her reflection, they were awakening once more.

Gently she stroked her popped belly, imagining the twins inside her growing bigger and healthier every minute. In the current fantasy the babies were girls. "I can't wait to hear your heartbeats at my next appointment." Closing her eyes she flashed to the future and saw a nurse handing Haleigh to Greg in the delivery room while she cradled Heidi. Both babies were contently cooing as she and Greg locked eyes, celebrating the perfect moment in silence.

"Tawny! I'm back! Where are you!"

Turning from the mirror towards the door she yelled, "I'm in the bedroom!"

When Greg rushed through the open door he rejoiced, "I had the best day!" With his foot he shut the door and then quickly lunged to lock it so his mother wouldn't interrupt. Lifting Tawny into his arms, he squeezed her. "It was great!"

"You're crushing our towel babies," she giggled as her jubilant fiancé backed her against the bedroom wall. "Wow! You missed me this much!"

"No." Then he saw her smile fade. "I mean yes, I missed you, but that's not why I'm going nuts…and by nuts I don't mean the literal way of late, I mean happy nuts. I played all eighteen holes without strangling my dad and I didn't embarrass myself that badly. Well, I did whack a duck sitting in the water on the sixteenth hole, but it didn't die!"

"Way to go!" she bubbled with delight. "I'm so happy you and your dad are working things out…and that you didn't give up on golfing…and that the duck lived."

"Me too. I feel fantastic!" Seeing the glint on Tawny's left hand matching the intensity of the one in her eyes Greg winked, "I think I have that jock post-game testosterone rush I've only heard Nick talk about." He dove for the creamy expanse of her neck. "Do you know how many stories about celebrating with babes after the big game I had to endure over the years?"

"Plenty."

Greg wiggled his brows. "So, how about it, Tawny? Will you be my post-game babe? Are you up for a romp?"

His ardor catching her off guard Tawny teased, "Go for it, Baby…just help me catch up to you first, because you're way ahead of me."

"Not a problem."

"Let me give birth first." Chuckling she yanked out the balled up towel. "That's better."

Kiss after hungry kiss stoked his passion to an extreme while he hoped his hands were doing the same for Tawny's body. "Ready?"

"More than ready," she purred as her body simmered.

Feeling incredibly confident in his prowess, Greg grinned at his fiancée. "I couldn't help but notice you're up against the wall…wearing a skirt…and thanks to my subtle handiwork, lacking panties."

"Oh! I know what you're thinking," she giggled, actually excited over the prospect of The Peg since Greg was in the right frame of mind to pull it off. "One afternoon of sports participation and you're turning into Slick. I can't imagine what you'd be like after a full sports season."

"We'll find out, because my dad is giving me his old clubs and I intend to keep playing." Lifting Tawny into his arms Greg winked. "We'll talk more later…right now though…prepare to be dazzled, Darlin'."

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Scott was excitedly relaying the details of the afternoon to his wife when suddenly he heard odd noises coming from the second floor directly above his head. "What's that?"

Bev stopped slicing onions to listen. "Oh no…I think they're having more clown sex, and apparently Tawny is really enjoying it again."

Laughing at his wife's disturbed expression Scott teased, "I think it's probably 'I shot eighteen holes at the club' victory sex." Taking the chopping knife out of his wife's hands he mischievously said, "I shot eighteen holes at the club too, Darling…I think I might enjoy a little victory romp myself."

"You want to copycat our son's sex life?" When he nodded, Bev quickly washed her hands and tossed her apron. "I can't believe we're doing this."

**Sofia's Apartment Complex  
****6:01 p.m. **

"I can't believe we're dining at Sofia's when we have the Presidential Suite at the Mandalay Bay all to ourselves," Gil lamented to Sara as he carried a brown shopping bag of Chinese food down the hall looking for Sofia's apartment number. When he lost the bet at the gym earlier, Irving told him he already had plans to grab some take out and hang out at Sofia's, so instead of taking them out to dinner, he suggested to buy the Chinese food in his place and hang out at Sofia's together. "We're not social people to begin with, but to be forced to socialize with Sofia…that's cruel and unusual punishment for a recluse. Not to mention, I have to be on guard because I don't want to piss her off in front of Irving for fear he'll torture me at my next session…not that he didn't torture me at this one."

"Isn't there some kind of rule regarding socializing with your personal trainer? Maybe we can get out of this on an ethics violation," Sara joked as she pointed. "There's the apartment." On approach she whispered, "We should have brought Sean with us to look for 'sweat' because I'm afraid to sit where Nick and Sofia have been."

"Congratulations," Gil droned. "You've successfully found a way to make this adventure in annoyance even more uncomfortable."

Smiling, Sara rapped on the door. "You're welcome."

Facing Sofia's apartment door and grumbling, Gil and Sara didn't see the nosy neighbor, Bernice Johansson peeking out her window.

Clutching her cordless phone Bernice punched in the cell phone number Tony Mantello had given her. "Mr. Mantello," she heatedly whispered into the phone. "You told me to call if I saw anything odd going on at my bitchy neighbor's apartment. Well…it looks like she's into foursomes now instead of threesomes. She's got her tattooed boyfriend in there with her already and now there's another couple at the door, and they're definitely a couple of weirdos. The guy has to be twenty years older than the girl and he looks shifty. He's carrying a plain brown shopping bag, which I'm sure is full of kinky sex toys." Proudly she nodded. "Yep…I snapped a few pictures with that special camera you gave me."

**The Willows/Brown Household  
****6:11 p.m. **

"Talk about a Kodak moment," Warrick announced as he stepped into the kitchen and saw Catherine and Lindsay making dinner together. "And either I've gone deaf, or the two of you haven't fought in over an hour."

"Don't jinx us," Catherine quipped back. "Hey, is my Martha Stewart impression getting you hot?" she asked while turning on a gas burner to boil pasta.

"Please don't answer that," Lindsay implored while finishing the garlic bread. "I've had enough trauma for one day."

"Is this for us to eat?" Warrick walked over and stirred the pot of meat sauce on the stove. "Or does your sweetheart Sean get this too?" Lindsay had scolded him earlier for snatching a brownie because they were for the neighbors.

"I'm not going anywhere near Geek Boy for a while. He already thinks I'm crushing on him." Lindsay rolled her eyes. "He wishes. That's what I get for doing a random act of kindness. Ugh."

**Whispering Pines Rehab Center  
****6:14 p.m. **

"These are really for me?" Katrina Bowers, aka Malibu Barbie, shrilled when the receptionist informed her that the large plastic vase of cheery flowers was hers.

"They're gorgeous," the receptionist remarked before returning to her stack of paperwork.

"Check it out, Tramparella!" Katrina strutted over to the waiting area where Ellie just happened to be sitting, working a word-search puzzle. "My boyfriend sent me flowers."

"What does the card say?" Ellie droned without taking her eyes off the page.

"None of your business."

Finally she glanced up. "If it's none of my business then why are you over here telling me about it?"

"Whatever."

"You probably sent those flowers to yourself!" Ellie barked as her roommate walked off.

On his way out from having dinner with the Center's Director to discuss some changes to the Equine Therapy program, Ren Clarke approached his most difficult student. "Don't you think you were being a bit harsh to Katrina? The girl's been down about her boyfriend for a week. You didn't have to rain on her parade when the guy finally came through."

Staring at the horse man Ellie snipped, "How did you go from cowboy to therapist overnight? Watching Dr. Phil?"

"You don't have to be a therapist to recognize someone being mean."

"Have you ever heard of the saying, innocent until proven guilty?"

"I was right here." Ren crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "I heard what you said."

"Then you heard her say it was none of my business what was on the card." Standing up, Ellie grabbed her puzzle book. "The card said 'Hang in there. I know you can make it. I can't wait to see you back in L.A. Charlie doesn't deserve you', and it was signed 'your secret admirer'."

"Huh?"

"Maybe I have psychic ability." Strutting over to the cowboy, Ellie leaned in close and whispered, "Or maybe I sent her the flowers because I felt sorry for her for having a loser Daddy when I have a great one...but mostly I sent them because I was sick of her moping around, bringing me down hour after hour."

Staring at the young lady Ren apologized, "Sorry…I shouldn't have…it's just…"

"What?" she postured, waiting for the ass to say something annoying.

"People rarely surprise me." Ren smiled at his worst student. "You just surprised me."

"Well, you don't know me, Cowboy Ren…" Returning his smile she winked, "I'm full of surprises." From his fingertips she removed the black cowboy hat he was clutching and placed it on her head. "See ya at the ranch tomorrow…high noon."

"Okay…yeah." Stunned by her latest move, while still shocked by her previous one, Ren waved. "See you then, Ellie."

"Yee haw!" she sang out while turning her back on him and sauntering away. "You can stop checking out my ass any time now, because lusting after a patient has to be a big time ethics violation."

He quickly averted his eyes.

Without looking back Ellie praised, "Much better."

**Sofia's Apartment  
****6:20 p.m. **

"So…" Irving slapped Gil on the back. They were shooting the breeze while Sofia and Sara were in the kitchen getting drinks for dinner. "How are you feeling after your latest torture session?"

"Great," Gil answered with no conviction. "I love it when my ass is throbbing so badly I can't sit."

"Oh…so you really are into that Dominatrix spanking stuff," Irving remarked while crossing his arms. "Yeah…Sofia said something about you going to Lady Heather's, but I thought she was joking." When he saw Gil's stunned expression Irving laughed, "That was a joke, Gil. She never said that. Hell, if there's one person I can't imagine going there, it's you."

"Dinner is served!" Sofia called out upon entering the living room. "Sorry again about eating on the floor at the coffee table. I keep meaning to buy a new dining table, but something always comes up." Tossing a look at her date she said, "And since I didn't plan on having a dinner party…I'm unprepared to entertain properly."

Watching her husband slowly work his way down to sitting, Sara tried not to laugh. "Irving…look what you did to my man."

"I'm filled with pride." Irving grabbed Gil's elbow to help ease him down. "This is the sign of a great workout. Hey, Sara…after dinner I'll show you how to properly massage his gluteus maximus. It will help with the soreness…and it's fun."

"Whose ass are you going to use for the demonstration?" Gil immediately asked. "Because you're not rubbing mine…or my wife's."

"Hmm…" Irving winked at Sofia. "Will you be my trusted assistant?"

"Absolutely," she purred.

The thought of watching Sofia get an 'ass massage' taking away his appetite, Gil changed to a more pleasant dinner topic. "The most fascinating thing happened at the body farm yesterday…"

"Stop." Sara glared at her husband. "No DB talk over dinner, remember?"

**The Blakes  
****6:28 p.m. **

Sitting at the kitchen table with his father while his mom loaded the dishwasher, Sean waxed on about his birthday trip to the body farm. "Dr. Grissom said if my teacher gives permission, maybe I could present my photos to my Bio class."

From the sink Wendy cringed. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Honey. You really don't need to be recognized as the kid who spends his weekends photographing rotting bodies."

"Why?" Sean wondered while staring blankly as his mother.

Luckily Ryan had returned in time to fill in the blank. "Because everyone already thinks you're a geek, if you start showing off your photo album of corpses, they'll think you're a freak **and** a geek…babes won't give you the time of day."

Paul shot his social savvy son a look. "Stick with term ladies, girls or women instead of 'babes'."

"But, Dad…" Ryan stared at him puzzled. "You just said that cheerleader on TV was a babe."

Paul quickly changed the subject. "What's that you're holding in your hand, Son?"

"I found it on Mom's desk." He held up the large brown envelope. "It's addressed to me and the corpse freak…it says 'Happy Birthday Boys' on the back."

"Is it from Grandpa?" Sean excitedly asked. "Maybe he sent us something neat from the cruise ship."

"It doesn't have a return address." Ryan handed it to his brother. "Feels like a book, doesn't it?"

"May we open it, Mom?" Sean asked since their birthday technically wasn't for another day.

"Sure." Wiping her hands on a dishrag, Wendy approached the table.

"You open it, Sean," Ryan directed. "Then I'll pull out whatever is inside." It only took a few seconds for his brother to work open the seal. "I'm goin' in…" Excited for the surprise, he inserted his hand. "It's a magazine, not a book." When he saw the cover, he gasped. "It's porn! Weird looking porn…but definitely porn because the girl is wearing a school sweater with her boobs peeking out."

"I don't think it's from Grandpa," Sean remarked while averting his eyes.

"Give me that!" Wendy snatched it from her son's hand. "Leave the envelope on the table and go outside to play with your brother." Anxiously, she flipped through the magazine.

"Why am I in trouble?" Ryan asked, while he watched the anger building in his mother's eyes. "I didn't know what…"

"You're not in trouble." Wendy pointed to the back door. "But you will be if you don't do as I ask this second! **Go outside!**"

Once the boys were gone Paul confronted his wife. "You can't blame them for…" Then he realized tears were ready to spill from her eyes.

"Page forty-one." She handed it over and wiped her eyes. "That **bastard!**"

When Paul opened to the specified page he saw a typed note on the opposite page from a girl he recognized as his wife, posing seductively wearing only a UNLV sweater wrapped around her bare waist. "This is the photo you told me about." Unnerved, he read the note.

_Hey, boys – Knowledge is power. I have plenty, so I thought I'd share some with you._

_I bet you didn't know your uptight church-going mommy was a whore who would take her clothes off for any guy who asked her. Well, technically she wasn't a whore, because she was doing it for free._

_One day, after she had already stripped for every guy on campus, she decided she wanted even more guys to see her tits, so she posed for this sleazy picture._

_Your mommy was a big-time slut. So, the next time she gives you shit…you can shove this knowledge in her face. Happy Birthday!_

"Rodgers won't quit until he's dead," Wendy stated in a hollow voice.

Paul tried to be the voice of reason. "We don't know for sure it's from him."

"Who else could it be!" Wendy screamed. "He's already taunted Sara, Gil, and Nick via Carrie! It's obviously my turn now! He wants to hurt the people who put him away. He wants me to turn that magazine over to Gil and Nick so I'll be humiliated! Well the jokes on him…I'm not going to turn it over!" Shaking she confessed her biggest fear. "Paul…my gut tells me, Rodgers is just warming up." Glancing out the kitchen window she saw her boys staring in her direction. "What if he intends to do more to us? How are we going to keep our children safe?"

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****6:35 p.m. **

"Let's review," Nick announced as he stood in the middle of the living room looking at Carrie cuddling Binda on the couch. "All potentially poisonous substances have been moved to top shelves. The new heavy-duty trash can you purchased can only be opened by stepping on a foot pedal so Binda won't be able to pop the lid and get into the garbage like she did on the old one. All electrical cords have been coated with that bitter-tasting puppy deterrent we bought. All floors and surfaces have been searched and any chokable objects removed. And most importantly…" He smiled brightly. "All shoes are stowed out of Binda's reach. Feeling better?"

"Much." Squeezing the pup Carrie returned her man's smile. "We're really good parents when we put our minds to it."

**The Sanders Home  
****7:00 p.m. **

"Where are my parents?" Greg wondered when he and Tawny arrived in the kitchen freshly showered and dressed for dinner, which his mom had told him would be ready at seven.

Staring at the cutting board which had half an onion and 3 whole bell peppers sitting abandoned, Tawny said, "Maybe your mom realized she forgot a key ingredient for the fajitas?" Bev wanted to make Greg's favorite meal before they returned to Vegas the following morning.

"I'll see if a car is gone."

Greg headed for the garage while Tawny picked up the knife and continued slicing onions.

"I know exactly why dinner is late," Greg chuckled when he returned to the kitchen. "My parents are getting it on."

"Eww!" Tawny covered her mouth. "I hope they didn't hear that."

"Not a chance. They have the music turned up." Greg went to the sink to wash his hands so he could help prep dinner. "That's the telltale sign. They started playing loud music when I was nine and asked them why they make jungle sounds at night. I think I thought they were rehearsing one of my mom's school production numbers or something."

"Do you think they heard us?" Tawny asked in a panic. "Oh my God! What if they heard us and that gave them the idea? Like we were their porn. Eww!"

Joining Tawny at the counter Greg laughed, "You're such a prude."

Laughing at herself she resumed cutting. "Uh…I don't think a prude would have let you drive the peg home, Baby."

"Yeah." From behind he placed his hands on her hips and whispered in her ear, "Golf balls weren't the only thing I drove well today, huh?" The experience had been just as thrilling as he had imagined. Afterwards, he quickly decided it wasn't something he'd care to do often, because it was exhausting and uncomfortable in comparison to his preferred positions…not that he'd admit it. "And you thought I didn't have the right stuff."

"For the last freakin' time! I **never **said that to Carrie and Sara!" Slamming down the knife she made a beeline to Scott's office.

"I was kidding!" Greg yelled as he chased after her, grateful that his future wife was the type to drop the she was holding when she was pissed off. "What are you doing!"

Plopping down in front of Scott's computer she clicked 'write' on his AOL screen, addressed the e-mail to Carrie and Sara, noted in the subject line she was Tawny using Scott's account, and then feverishly typed her message. "There!"

"What are you doing?" Greg asked a second time when he stood behind his fiancée at the computer.

"Are you happy now?" Laughing, she pointed at the screen, where she had pulled up the sent message for him to see.

_I don't mean to make you jealous girls, but…_

_Greg just drove the peg like a pro! I've never been so satisfied in my life! I'm marrying the perfect Peg Driver! Who is the luckiest girl in the world? Me! I'm still recovering from the THRILL! When you see me back in Vegas tomorrow, I'll still be on cloud nine! **Make sure you accidentally mention this to Nick and Gil! **_

_Love,  
Tawny…aka FiancéeOfPegDriver_

"Did you really send that?" Greg asked as his cheeks turned red.

"Yep." Tawny stood and walked out of the room. "Later I'm going to order you a plaque to hang in the townhouse."

"Not a trophy?" Greg joked, loving his future wife's sense of humor. "Because a trophy has phallic properties."

"Speaking of phallic properties… apparently all the Sanders men are on fire tonight." Tawny covered her mouth when she saw Bev in the kitchen cooking and whistling. "Mom's looking pretty happy."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****7:12 p.m. **

When Jillian Stokes saw her son open the apartment door she gasped, "You look fit as a fiddle again, Nicky." Her arms flew around him. "Seeing you looking so healthy is a nice surprise."

Enjoying the embrace he said, "Speaking of surprises…Carrie and I are making you a grandma again."

"What!" Jillian jumped back in shock. "But Carrie told me the story about her getting a pregnancy test before you went on your road trip because you were nervous. She said it was negative."

"Stop tormenting her, Tex!" Carrie scolded as she approached with Binda in her arms. "Not that kind of baby, Jillian. This kind." She waved the puppy's paw. "Nicky bought me a pooch."

Jillian scowled at her son. "You really are feeling like you old self, Son…mischievous."

"I think it's a good sign," he replied while shutting the door.

"Is she a mutt?" Jillian inquired while taking the puppy in her arms and kissing Carrie's cheek. "How are you holding up, Sugar?"

"Her name is Binda, and she's a Labradoodle…half Yellow Lab, half Poodle," Carrie replied, "and I'm doing much better." She slipped her hand into Nick's. "We're both doing great."

Nick waited for his mother's reaction to the dog breed.

"Good Lord." Jillian laughed as she scratched the dog's head. "Wait 'till Andy finds out you have **a poodle**."

"After everything that's happened, I don't think he'll give me too much shit…" When he caught his mother's glare Nick cleared his throat. "Pardon me, ladies...I meant, I don't think he'll give me too much of a hard time."

"How is everything going in Chicago?" Carrie asked while laughing at Nick getting busted by his mommy. "Is Cassie recovering as fast as her uncle?"

"Faster. They'll still be able to fly out here later this week. The movers are coming on Tuesday to pack and by Wednesday they'll be done and on the road." Jillian fell in love with her latest grandbaby as she spoke. "The nice surprise is…Drew and Melissa's marriage is recovering too."

**Drew and Lissa's Home  
****7:20 p.m. **

"She's finally getting some rest," Drew announced as he walked into the master bedroom to find his wife, who was sorting through her closet, pulling items to give to Goodwill. "Six stories…then I told her that if she didn't get enough rest we might not be able to move to Vegas this week and be with Uncle Nicky and Grandma." Leaning against the wall he smiled. "She snapped her eyes closed and pretended to snore. Then she fell asleep for real while pretending."

"Terrific." Smiling at her husband she said, "I'll go in to kiss her goodnight after I'm done here. You have perfect timing." She pointed to the upper shelf. "I need your extra five inches in height. I can't remember what's in half those cartons."

He hurried over to pull down the dozen containers. "Are you getting more excited about the move?"

Watching him work Melissa softly replied, "Now that I'm more excited about us, I'm more excited about the move. I'm looking forward to the fresh start, and having family around again…and no freezing cold winter."

"I'm looking forward to the warmth." Lowering the last crate he caught his wife's eyes. "Outside and inside our home."

"Me too." They hadn't shared a kiss since the dreamy one in the hospital and suddenly Melissa felt her lips craving her husband's once again.

"I'll help you go through these." He knelt down and opened the first. "Hey…did you get a chance to look at any of those house listings the relocation specialist emailed?"

"I like the third one," she answered while kneeling beside him. "It's the homiest, and I like the name of the neighborhood…Pine Grove Estates. I never would have thought there were pine trees in Vegas."

"And it's the least expensive."

"Fitting for a millionaire working for peanuts."

Chuckling he told her, "My new salary isn't even equal to my bonus last year. But my brother tells me I'll have good benefits and some nice perks…such as an opportunity to increase my good karma." Opening the second crate he gave a cat-call. "I found some very naughty lingerie in this one. Keeping or donating?"

"Donating."

The loaded question in his head, escaped from his mouth. "Because it won't be needed where we're going?"

"Because I want to buy new lingerie when we get there."

Seizing the discussion opportunity Drew gently prodded, "So, does that mean you think we'll get **there** again one day?"

"Yeah…I really do." Sliding closer she rested her head on her husband's shoulder, allowing him to hold her. "We'll take baby steps."

**Sofia's Apartment  
****7:14 p.m. **

Finished with dinner, the two couples moved into the living room and Irving continued to be the chatty one of the group. "So what made you decide to take the plunge into parenthood?" he asked the expectant couple. "Because some days I think I want kids in the future, and other days I feel certain I don't. I'd like to know how a person comes to the decision."

"What about you, Sofia?" Sara quickly re-directed. "I've never heard you talk about kids one way or the other."

"I really can't imagine myself as a mother."

"Neither could I," Sara blurted. "I mean… I couldn't imagine **me** as a mother before I got pregnant."

Raising a brow Sofia asked, "Does that mean Gil convinced you otherwise, or baby Grissom was an accident?"

"Uh…" Looking over at her husband Sara replied, "I don't really like discussing my personal life but…it was more like, I never thought I wanted to have a child until I met a man I could imagine having a child with…then something clicked and I changed my mind. And that's all I'll say about that."

"But it doesn't work that way for everyone," Gil remarked thinking back to Celeste and Hodges the previous night.

"Yeah." Sara shuddered at the memory.

"Are you talking about Hodges?" Sofia inquired.

"How do you know about what happened?" Gil stared in disbelief.

"Hodges is covering for Raul today." Sofia shook her head sighing. "He's telling everyone that his marriage ended when Carrie Blake outed him as a child-hating, Christmas-loathing Republican in front of his wife. When I called in to check on some DNA results I've been waiting for, Max told me the scoop. His exact words were…Hodges is headed for a shame spiral."

**Trace Lab  
****7:23 p.m. **

Alone in the room Hodges did his best Bridget Jones impression, Belting out All By Myself with sadness to spare. "Don't want to live…**all…byyyyy…my**sel**f**! An-nee-morrrrrre! " Then he improvised. "I'll be **all….byyyyy….myself**, forever more! Because I'm an assssssssss-hoooooooooooole extraordinaire!"

**Ely State Prison  
****7:31 p.m. **

Sitting at a desk in the library after hours, Mike did his mindless job while conversing with the librarian who worshipped him.

"Do you think you'll want children when you're free and we're married, Michael?"

"My dearly departed wife and I dreamed of having children one day." Stamping the next book he poured on the bullshit. "Just as we were about to start trying…I lost her." Dropping the book stamp on purpose Mike smiled at his slave. "Would you mind crawling under the desk and getting that for me, Honey?"

Grinning with anticipation the eager librarian dropped to her knees and did as requested and implied.

Picking up the next book Mike smirked, "And while you're down there…" Pleased that she moved quickly, he relaxed in his chair pretending to read a law book, while enjoying the physical pleasure of the moment and dreaming of the day he walked out of Ely a free man. On that day, all the pain of the last year would suddenly seem worth it.

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****8:04 p.m. **

After enjoying take out from Pietro's Pizza Garden, Nick was ordered by his concerned mother to rest on the couch. "Let's not forget how you almost died, Son." Jillian fluffed the pillows and pointed for him to lie down. "You don't like to acknowledge when you're hurting."

"Yes, ma'am…but I swear, I'm fine…just a little sore." Doing as told, he reclined on the couch and seconds later Binda pounced on his thighs. "Hey, girl." When he saw his mother cock her head at the sight of a dog jumping on furniture Nick whispered so Carrie wouldn't hear from the next room, "The Blakes let their pets up on their furniture." He shrugged. "I told Carrie I didn't mind. Don't say it…I already know I'm a pushover."

"Son, mark my word…you'll be regretting that decision the first time you go to snuggle your sweetheart in bed and find your spot already taken."

"All done!" Carrie cheerily announced when she returned to the room. "I'm ready for the news."

"Have a seat next to Nicky, Sugar…and hold his hand." Walking over to the carry-on bag she had left by the door, Jillian unzipped it and removed a plain white box. "We don't have to say a word about this, if you don't want to, Nicky. You don't even have to open the box." Smiling faintly she handed it over. "It's your trophy, Honey." When she saw him tense, Jillian sat on the coffee table in front of him, placing her hand on his knee. "They processed it, but since the accused pled guilty, it was released from evidence. I had it professionally cleaned and restored in Chicago, so you don't have to worry…not even her fingerprint is on it, okay?"

"Okay." Nick glanced over at Carrie. "I wanna see it."

"Me too." Pushing out a smile she released his hand so he could open the box.

"I'll hold the pup," Jillian directed, feeling her emotions coming on strong and needing a little comfort. "I already apologized to your brother for accusing him of stealing it all those years ago, and I've instructed him not to bring it up unless you do."

"Thanks, Mama." The sight of the gold statuette took his breath away. "It's just as I remember it." With shaky fingers he lifted it from the box. "Unbelievable…it's as good as new."

When she saw the peaceful smile on her fiancé's face, Carrie pressed a tender kiss to his cheek and hugged him. "I think you're as good as new too."

Returning the hug, Nick replied, "I really believe that's true, Sweetheart."

Patting the couch cushion, Nick urged his mother. "From the looks of it, you could use a hug too."

Once in her son's arms, Jillian sniffled, "Thank you…and I promise, this is the last of my emotion. I'll be honoring your wish to move forward, business as usual…including jokes and an occasional scolding." Slipping out of the embrace a minute later, Jillian stood and wiped her last tear. "Now give me something to do to occupy my mind." She glanced around. "I could dust or…"

"Laundry!" Carrie jumped up. "We were behind before we went on vacation and it's been chaos since we got back. If you could handle that, I'll write up a shopping list with Nicky, and then head to the supermarket so we don't have to exist on take out and convenience store snacks."

"I know you're right about the laundry, I saw the hampers overflowing in the laundry room earlier." Jillian took off, happy to have a task. "Nicky, your job is to rest up."

"If you insist, Mama." He kicked his feet up on the coffee table and grabbed the remote. "Darlin'…make sure you get stuff to make protein shakes…and lots of chicken. In the hospital, I dropped the ten pounds I gained this year, but I'll gain it back and then some if I keep stuffin' my face while I can't exercise."

"Got it." She jotted the requests down on her notepad.

"Carrie…" Jillian called out from the laundry room. "How do you usually wash your lacy things? In the machine on delicate cycle, or do you hand wash them in the sink?"

Carrie frantically whispered to Nick, "Oh my god…did you put our gross underwear in there!"

"Of course! Where else would I put them besides the hamper!"

They simultaneously cringed when they saw Jillian walking out of the laundry room carrying a pair of Nick's boxers by her fingertips. "Nicky…do you have a pair of latex gloves in your CSI kit I could use?" Shaking her head she turned the shorts around to reveal a pair of Carrie's white lace panties plastered to them. "Because this looks like a bio-hazard to me."

Carrie quickly pointed to the dog. "Binda did it!"

Staring at his fiancée, Nick reminded her in a whisper, "Brainiac…Binda's a girl."

Carrie forged on with her explanation, "There was this…**bottle of glue** on the bathroom counter! It was there because Binda chewed one of my shoes and I was using it to repair the shoe! Yes! And Binda jumped up and knocked the glue on the floor, spilling it everywhere. I used our underwear to wipe up the massive spill." Smiling proudly, she waited for Jillian to accept the logical explanation. "That's why they're um…sticky."

"Wow…they really are scenting glue very strangely these days," Jillian deadpanned. "And you must have been frantic over that glue spill, Sugar because you went and ripped a hole in the crotch of your pretty panties." She pointed to the tear. "Never mind the gloves, Nicky. Since it's just glue, I can use my bare hands to pry your skivvies from…"

"No!" Nick and Carrie simultaneously blurted.

"Busted! Good Lord…you couldn't even wait for the sex ban to be lifted?" Rolling her eyes she dropped the shorts on the floor. "We're switching jobs, Carrie, because if this was what I found on top of the pile after Nicky just returned from the hospital, I don't even want to think about what I'd find on your vacation clothes."

"What makes you think we wore clothes on vacation, Mama?" Nick cracked up at his own joke. "Oh yeah…I'm as good as new alright."

**Sofia's Apartment  
****9:07 p.m. **

"Let me help you up, Gil." Irving stood behind him and tugged him to his feet. "You need to do twenty minutes in the hot tub when you get home."

"If you insist." Gil clutched his trainer for dear life. "How the hell am I going to work like this tomorrow?"

Sara laughed out loud. "Like anyone will notice you with all the other good gossip floating around…Greg's engagement, Hodges making an ass out of himself, Nick buying a Labradoodle. You'll fly under the radar."

"Nick bought a Labradoodle?" Sofia laughed into her beer. "I was pet sitting a friend's tea cup poodle here once and he almost crushed it in bed. Stokes hates poodles." Then she realized she said that personal tidbit in front of the wrong company.

"Back up there for a second," Irving prompted. "I didn't know you dated Nick." Thinking back to the day of their hike when Sofia received word about Nick's accident and insisted they stop at the hospital, he suddenly wondered if there wasn't still something there. "How long ago did you date Stokes?"

"I wouldn't worry, Irving." Gil released a hearty chuckle. "Dating really isn't the right term, it was more like…" Then he realized he was indeed talking out loud. "Wow…time files when you're having fun." He grabbed Sara's hand. "But it's getting late and it's time for us to go." He didn't want to witness another round of couple angst while still shuddering from watching Hodges and Celeste the previous night.

**Celeste's Apartment  
****9:22 p.m. **

Deciding that her Prince would never come, Celeste sat at her computer desk Googling for information on Artificial Insemination_. I don't need a man in my life to be fulfilled_, she told herself_. Men are overrated…except when it comes to sex…then they're rather useful. That's it! _Suddenly she decided to Google a different topic. _Who needs a whole man when you can buy a battery-operated male organ!_

**The Willows/Brown Household  
****9:41 p.m. **

"What are you looking for?" Warrick inquired when he saw Catherine rummaging through the kitchen drawers.

"Batteries." Catherine held up the remote. "It's dead. I remember unpacking some double A's."

He joined in the search. "I think Lindsay really enjoyed cooking with you today."

"I was thinking of signing her and I up for one of those cooking classes they offer at that Culinary Institute on Barker Street."

"I think that's a great idea." Laughing he admitted, "Because I'll reap the benefits on multiple levels…it might help the two of you get along better, and I'll be eating better." Holding up a pack of double A batteries he smiled. "Found 'em."

"Thanks." Catherine snatched them out of his hand, quickly snapping them in the remote. "Now if you'll excuse me…" She winked. "I have porn to watch."

Laughing together they walked out of the kitchen. "You feel like putting in another hour of talking?" Warrick asked, recalling how they agreed to earn their way toward affection.

"Night, Linds!" Catherine shouted from outside her daughter's door. "Warrick and I will be on the patio talking if you need us."

Standing in front of her full-length mirror trying on the new clothes her mom had purchased for her earlier that day, Lindsay replied, "I'm in for the night! That's code for feel free to be naked and run through the house." When she heard them crack up she said, "Good night…and thanks again for the clothes and the cooking lesson, Mom."

Once again she resumed modeling her newest fashions in front of the mirror. "I think this would look better with the red shirt." In one smooth move she pulled off the sweater and turned around to grab the red shirt from the bed. "Oh!" Her hands raced to conceal her bra-cover chest. "You little perve!" Through her window she had seen Sean Blake standing there holding onto the cord of his window blind with the dumbest expression on his face. In shock, she watched him yank down his bedroom window shade. "He was checking me out," she remarked in disbelief.

Lowering her hands she turned once again to her mirror. "Whoa…I'm check-outable."

**The Grissoms  
****10:02 p.m. **

As he opened the door to their home, Gil informed Sara, "I just want to check on our pets."

"Please stop calling them pets." Shaking her head Sara stepped inside, happy to be home, but sad that it wasn't permanent yet. "I'm all for our son or daughter enjoying bugs, but I don't want he or she to refer to them as pets. You know…'Hi, my name is Owen and I have six pet cockroaches.' That's not an ice breaker when you're meeting other kids…it's a deal breaker."

"Point taken." Smiling at his concerned wife, Gil replied, "I'll make sure to teach Owen or Erin to refer to bugs as friends instead of pets."

"Great, that'll help…get them an appointment with the school psychologist." Sighing she headed down the hall. "I'm going to grab a few things from my closet."

"I need five minutes," Gil remarked before heading in the opposite direction.

Walking down the hall Sara tried her husband's new suggestion on for size in a little girl's voice. "'Hi, my name is Erin and these are my cockroach friends, Larry, Curly and Mo'. Yeah…she'll never date. Unless maybe Greg and Tawny have a geek boy."

When she reached the bedroom door, Sara opened it and hurried inside.

From down the hall Gil heard his wife scream and a smile spread across his lips. Stepping into the hallway he shouted, "Does that mean you like the surprise!"

"Yes!" she cheered upon jumping into the hall. "When did you have time to pull this off?" Sara asked when she saw her grinning husband approach. He had filled the room with six vases of roses and a sign that said, 'Welcome Home!' "Does this mean their done and we can move back in?"

"Yep. I found out this morning. Went to the flower shop after my workout, and made the sign when I got here." Like the cat who ate the canary, he grinned a little wider. "You have your home back…and it has more security than ever before, and I mean that literally and figuratively, Sara. I'm hoping that this is a new start for us here…a way to put the fight behind us once and for all."

"I feel the same way." Sara's arms flew around Gil. "I love the surprise, and I love you."

Closing his eyes Gil savored the embrace. "I love you too, Honey."

**Nick and Carrie's Apartment  
****10:17 p.m. **

Lying on the bed with Binda curled up next to him, Nick winked at his fiancée when she entered the room. "Don't worry, you're still my number one girl."

"I've heard the rumors…this is nostalgic for you." Pulling back the covers she quizzed, "Exactly how long has it been since you had two girls in your bed, Stokes?"

"Oh please…that's just locker room talk, Darlin'." Picking up Binda, he moved her to the foot of the bed. "Crazy college stuff." Returning to his spot Nick relaxed against the pillows, encouraging Carrie to rest her head on his shoulder. "Did you e-mail the realtor?"

"Yep." Snuggling close she smiled. "I told him we wanted to look at three of the houses, but from the pictures we loved the one in Pine Groves Estates best, because it's so homey."

"I can't wait to start the next part of our life together." Closing his eyes he imagined them moving into their new home. "Buying a house…" When he felt a tongue dart in and out of his ear Nick chuckled, "Tell me you aren't serious."

"About the house?"

"About getting frisky **again**…and with my mom in the next room." Opening his eyes he saw Binda moving in for another lick. "Yeah…okay, no dogs on the bed. I don't want to be naked and worrying she's gonna lick something other than my ear. I'm not into bestiality, Sweetheart. The couch is fine, the bed no way. Is that a good enough compromise?"

Laughing at him she nodded and took Binda from the bed to put in her crate.

"Thank you." Staring at Carrie as she stood against the wall smiling at him, Nick said, "You look much happier."

"I am. I feel…I don't know." A blissful smile flooded her face. "I suddenly feel different. Maybe it's all the house talk…the feeling of moving forward. I don't know. Maybe it was seeing the look on your face when you opened the trophy box? I just feel like things are changing for us…after all this drama, I sense some big-time happiness coming our way." Rolling her eyes she laughed at herself. "Maybe I should go to a psychic and have my tea leaves read just to make sure?"

"Nah." Rolling onto his side Nick patted the bed. "I trust your instincts…after all, you fell in love with me the first night you met me."

"You really are back to your old self, Stokes." When she burrowed under the covers next to Nick, Carrie brought her lips to his for a quick kiss. "It's really happening. We already have a dog."

"And we're going to have a house real soon," he excitedly whispered.

"Not long after that we'll have wedding bands on our fingers…and then hopefully a baby."

Placing his hand on Carrie's womb Nick assured her, "I know you don't want anyone to know what we're going to do but, I was thinking that we should tell my sister Barbara because she's an OB/Gyn and can give us solid advice."

"I agree now that I'm calmer…and you're so into it." Lowering her hand over Nick's, Carrie smiled. "Remember in the hospital when I moved up my timeline for having our first baby?"

"I was freaked." Gliding his palm over Carrie's womb he assured her, "Suddenly I can't wait." Laughing he admitted, "Hell, if I wasn't restricted, I think I might even try to pull a Sanders tonight."

**The Sanders Home  
****10:36 p.m. **

Sitting on the patio swing snuggling Tawny in his arms and staring at the stars Greg whispered, "Thank you for making this trip perfect."

"It really was perfect." Tawny released a contented sigh, "I've had a great time on this vacation. I don't even need a honeymoon."

"Not that trip." Greg cupped Tawny's face with his palm and smiled. "I meant falling in love and getting engaged. It was perfect, just the enough drama to make the joy spectacular."

Her heart melted from his loving gaze.

Overwhelmed by his emotions, Greg paused to steal a tender kiss. "Seriously, Tawny…here we are staying in the house where I almost died, and I feel more alive than ever. I owe it all to you. So, I repeat…Tawny Ann Cooper…thank you for making the trip perfect, and thank you once again for agreeing to be my wife. I know when you first mentioned moving up the wedding, I balked, but now that I've had a little time to think about it…the next part of our journey together can't come soon enough."

"Awww." Giddy in love Tawny batted her eyes to stave off tears of joy. "I never thought I'd feel more in love than I did when you proposed but here I am, loving you twice as much."

"I feel the same way."

Suddenly Tawny saw an opportunity. "So, there's probably nothing I could say to tick you off right now."

"Nothing other than, 'I changed my mind, I don't want to marry you'."

In a stern voice Tawny announced, 'I changed my mind, I don't want to marry you." But before Greg could panic she yelled, "Kidding!" Using Bev and Greg's proven bait and switch strategy, she informed him, "What I really need to tell you is that I accidentally told Nick you used to fall asleep sucking on Mr. Peebles's ear and now he's going to incorporate that in his best man toast." After bursting into a grin Tawny jubilated, "That's nothing compared to me saying I don't want to marry you, right!"

"Barely!"

"Maybe he'll forget."

**September 5, 2005  
****The Blakes  
****12:16 a.m. **

Ryan was sitting in bed reading Harry Potter when out of the corner of his eye he saw a white envelope slide under his door.

Curious, he tossed the book and crossed the room to check out the mystery.

Upon approach he saw his brother's writing in black ink on the envelope and he picked it up.

_Ryan,_

_You were right, and I'm a man of my word._

_Sean_

_P.S. I promise to do all your chores for a week, if you don't talk about this with me._

Grinning wildly Ryan opened the envelope and removed the ten dollar bill his brother had placed in there. "Ha!" He rushed to his desk to grab a pen.

After quickly jotting a note, he opened his door and walked down the hall, slipping the envelope under Sean's door.

Lying in bed staring at the ceiling Sean saw something fly under his door and jumped out of bed.

The red writing on the envelope immediately jumped out at him.

_Congratulations! On your thirteenth birthday you took matters into your own hands and became a man. I'm so proud of you, Bro, and yes, I accept your offer to do my chores all week in return for me not 'talking' to you about this. However, you didn't say anything about not 'writing' you about it, WANKER!_

Sighing, Sean lowered the envelope. "I should have seen that coming." Then he saw a folded piece of paper fly under the door and he hurried to open it.

_P.S. How could I forget!  
Happy Birthday, Bro!  
I wonder what's coming up ahead for you, Spanky?_

Snatching a black pen from his desk Sean quickly scribbled a two word answer to his brother's question…**BIG** things!

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Thanks for reading the first book! (I decided to do books this time instead of sections like 'Second Chances' or 'Losing It' in the FS series)

Hopefully this chapter wrapped up some loose ends and gave some hints (some directly and some implied) about the future.

**A big thank you to KJT for working so hard on the chapters and for being flexible!  
**

**Thanks to everyone who has sentreviews along the way! **

**All VERY appreciated and motivating especially at times when life gets busy over here! **

* * *

**The next book starts: Tuesday, December 27th!  
****I'll hope you'll stick around for the journey!**

**Thanks,  
****Maggs **


End file.
